The Nightwatchman: One Man Revolution : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Rage against the machine guitarist Tom Morello pulls a reverse Dylan-at-Newport on his debut solo album by unplugging and writing thirteen songs about how shitty Bush's America is. Backed by acoustic guitar, harmonica and the occasional drums and keyboard, Morello -- recording under the name "the Nightwatchman" -- paints himself as a ghostly figure wandering the country pointing out wrongs, whether they are "Colin Powell's lies" or "dirty scabs" crossing a picket line. On the best song, "One Man Revolution," the Nightwatchman takes us on a trip from the streets of Havana to Los Angeles -- all the while (consciously?) nicking Bruce Springsteen's haunting riff from Nebraska's "State Trooper." Morello's baritone voice is surprisingly expressive, and he even manages to sell potentially cringe-inducing lines like "the Nightwatchman giveth" and "three times I shot the sheriff and did not spare the deputy." Living up to the legacy of Nebraska is tough; Springsteen himself hasn't been able to record a great sequel. Hopefully, for his next album, Morello will get his old band back together and make a Born in the USA.