| Voice of America | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 7, 1984[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1983–1984 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Rock, Pop, AOR | |||
| Length | 40:51 | |||
| Label | EMI America | |||
| Producer | Little Steven | |||
| Little Steven chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Voice of America | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[3] |
Voice of America is the second solo studio album by Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul released on May 7, 1984, four weeks before Bruce Springsteen released Born in the U.S.A.[1]
This album traded in the horns and the R&B influences of the previous Men Without Women for a raw, garage rock sound. Politics came to the lyrical forefront, with the general theme being opposition to the Reagan Era's American foreign policy.
"Out of the Darkness", a synthesizer-led anthem with sweeping arena rock and hair metal atmosphere, garnered some airplay, as well as music video play on MTV, and was effective in concert, while the somewhat softer and evocative "Checkpoint Charlie" also received considerable radio airplay. "Los Desaparecidos" gained praise as an effective protest song on behalf of the 1970s and 1980s victims of state-sponsored forced disappearance in South America. On other songs, the political viewpointing became more strident and was criticized as somewhat artless.
"I Am a Patriot", which held roughly that dissent was not disloyalty, became a favorite song of Jackson Browne, who covered it on his 1989 album World in Motion, and who frequently performed it in his concerts. In 2004, the two would duet on the song during the last of the Vote for Change shows. Pearl Jam has covered the song as well.
In 2019, the album was remastered for release as part of Van Zandt's career-spanning box set Rock N Roll Rebel: The Early Work. The digital deluxe edition of the album was released on October 25, 2019, containing 10 bonus tracks, including the studio outtake "Rock N Roll Rebel", which was written following Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen's 1983 removal from Disneyland due to their clothing being deemed inappropriate.[4] The digital deluxe edition also includes the reissued Vote! bonus EP.
- ^ a b Russell, Lisa. "Little Steven (Van Zandt) Says Goodbye to the Boss". People. Time Inc., 10 Sept. 1984. Web. 2 Apr. 2017. "The timing of Van Zandt’s LP—Bruce’s came out only four weeks after Voice of America—is also proving to be a little off."
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Robert Christgau review
- ^ Macdonald, Brady (August 9, 2019). "5 famous people banned, barred or ejected from Disneyland for behaving badly". timesheraldonline.com. Retrieved August 23, 2022.