Tom Pacheco in the Press:
Dirty Linen's Review of Tom Pacheco's Rebel Spring
(Frog's Claw Recordings FCR 002)
Tom Pacheco is, by his own admission, angry. The United States is at war, and American jobs are being lost to foreign interests while citizens working minimum-wage jobs languishing in poverty. It's enough to stir anger in most anyone. Pacheco's 19th album, Rebel Spring, offers a bitter declaration of 21st-century America, contrasting with a passionate and obvious love of his country. While the album's title track may hint at a bit of optimism, Pacheco doles it out in very small doses and is unafraid to challenge his listeners with difficult questions about the world around them. Songs such as “Cheaper in China,” “God and Flag and Country,” “Six Bucks an Hour,” and “Not in My Name” leave little doubt about where Pacheco is coming from and where he believes his country is headed. Backed by guitars, bass, synthesizer, and occasional mandolin, Pacheco's sound is folk-rock with a weathered enduring edge. (ACE)