This loosely connected songs on
Eugene Chadbourne
's
Jesse Helms busted With Pornography
make up a self-described "
C&W
opera
." There is no plot to speak of, rather than just a theme of comically obvious corruption and obscene political commentary. The sound is vintage
Chadbourne
: an astute mix of
avant-garde
bluegrass
,
country
, and wry protest music. Though the disc was recorded with a wide variety of musicians -- including
the Violent Femmes
'
Brian Ritchie
, former
Frank Zappa
drummer
Jimmy Carl Black
, members of
Camper Van Beethoven
, and many others -- the recording manages to hold together thanks to
's skills as a bandleader. Mostly, the common thread that seems to bind is the artist's undeniable manic energy as he baits
Jesse Helms
, the conservative senator from
's home state of North Carolina.
Helms
makes a good arch enemy and gives the music a pranksterish force missing from most protest music written since the 1960s. ~ Jesse Jarnow