Ry Cooder, whose new album, Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, was released on vinyl yesterday following its recent CD release, is featured on the latest episode of the BBC World Service daily arts program The Strand. Cooder spoke with host Anna McNamee about the inspiration behind the album, the process for bringing the music to life, and his expectations for the modern protest songs he's written.

"When it comes to American music legends, they don't come much bigger than Ry Cooder," says McNamee. "In his 40-odd years in the industry, he's played with everyone from Captain Beefheart to the Rolling Stones to John Lee Hooker."

As worldly and as wide-reaching as Cooder's impact and influence have been, she notes, he keeps his focus close to home on his latest album, which tackles the corruption and inequality he sees in contemporary American society.

"What I love about this album is that in so many ways it's a distillation of some great American musics," McNamee tells Cooder.

To hear what Cooder has to say, listen to The Strand at bbc.co.uk.

---

The release of Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down has been met with great critical acclaim from around the world, including five-star reviews from Uncut, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Independent, the Observer, Ireland's Evening Herald, the Winnipeg Free Press, and more. (For a quick re-cap, click here.) The album has now earned another five stars, this time from Bloomberg News.

---

To pick up a copy of Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, head to the Nonesuch Store, where vinyl and CD orders include high-quality, 320 kbps MP3s of the album at checkout, and MP3 and FLAC lossless files are also available to purchase.