Georgia English is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter who recently released the poignant album Pain and Album. This collection of tunes could be considered a musical journal that chronicles English’s experiences of overcoming trauma. It also includes a companion illustrative book that is meant to complement the tunes’ weighty messages. This collection of songs is a prime example of how the personal often intersects with the political.
Along with the individual experiences, English also includes insights on collective healing and pointed social commentary. This includes the tracks “America,” “Who” and “Statue of Jesus” which examine America’s systemic ills.
On “Who” it bemoans modern-day issues such as disunity, fake news, babies in cages, and “all lives matter”, but reminds the listener that none of this is new.
The lyrics include the timely inquiry “Could it be a broken system. Or did we design it this way?”
There is often discussion about how to fix a broken system. But maybe the question we should be asking is how do we dismantle and rebuild? Artists such as English play an important role in contributing to this needed dialogue.