Ry Cooder is the guest on today’s episode of the BBC World Service's The Strand. He talks about his new album, Election Special, and what motivated him to speak out through its songs. "Here we are in the middle of an incredibly critical Presidential campaign ... and all these issues are brought to the front," says Cooder. "Martin Luther King used to say do something if you can, something you could do. If it was writing a speech or a book or singing or marching, do it, when the need is there. So that’s what I’m doing."
Ry Cooder, whose new album, Election Special, was released this week on Perro Verde / Nonesuch Records, is the guest on today’s episode of The Strand, the daily arts program from the BBC World Service. Cooder talks with host Mark Coles about the new album, a wake-up call for this fall's US election, and what motivated him to speak out through its songs.
"Here we are in the middle of an incredibly critical Presidential campaign ... and all these issues are brought to the front," says Cooder. "Martin Luther King used to say do something if you can, something you could do. If it was writing a speech or a book or singing or marching, do it, when the need is there. So that’s what I’m doing.”
Cooder goes on to discuss his process for crafting the songs on the album, why he chose to structure them as he did, and his hopes for spreading the message. Hear what he has to say on The Strand at bbc.co.uk.
To pick up a copy of Election Special, head to the Nonesuch Store, where, for a limited time, CD and vinyl orders include an exclusive campaign-style button and bumper sticker.
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