Mdou Moctar, from artist’s Bandcamp.
We have reached the halfway point of 2024 so it is time to look back at some of the best socially conscious albums released so far. This list features a diverse array of artists, genres, and political issues. The albums are presented in alphabetical order. Many of the writeups were reused from what I previously wrote.
Anniversary – Adeem The Artist
The latest album by the country singer is the perfect balance of the personal and political. It addresses topics such as racist police officers (White Mule, Black Man)’, desensitization of war (Night Sweats), and the ongoing attack on queer rights (Nightmare). Adeem made the following statement concerning the motivation behind his music: “While I don’t consider myself a political activist, I do consider myself committed to the prophetic power of the truth and bound by blood oath to an ancient God who tasks me to seek peace and seek justice.”
New Monuments – Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones
The latest album by the experimental jazz musician is a potent thesis statement on the evils of colonialism. In the liner notes Kidambi wrote about how she learned to play the alto saxophone while attending protest rallies. “We noticed that holding instruments and playing music, often raucously and even joyously, was an immediate diffuser of tension,” she writes. “I remember warding off arrest just by playing and singing, with an officer unsure of how to apprehend me with the horn in my hands.”
Musow Danse – Les Amazones D’Afrique
This is the 3rd album by the West African collective, made up of six women from six different countries. Like previous albums, it is filled with galvanizing tunes of empowerment.
The Legends of ABM – Angry Blackmen
The hard-hitting album by the experimental hip-hop duo explores what it is like being a Black man in a society built upon systemic racism and capitalism.
Arrested Development – Bullets in the Chamber
After more than 3 decades the socially conscious hip-hop group continues to be a vital force. Feel-good vibes blend with thoughtful lyrics.
Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé
The motivation for Beyoncé’s country album was partly due to backlash received during a November 2, 2016 performance of “Daddy Lessons” with the Chicks during the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards. The album also taps into her Houston roots which included regularly attending and performing at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. She was also inspired by delving more in-depth into the history of the significant Black roots of country music. The existence of the album could be considered a statement of protest, but the album includes multiple socially conscious tunes such as the gospel-influenced bookends “American Requiem” and “Amen”. It also includes a powerful cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird”, which Paul McCartney partly wrote in response to the black people’s struggles during the American civil rights movement. He also stated that he meant “Blackbird” to symbolize black women. In connection with this, it is appropriate that Beyoncé’s interpretation included contributions from black female country singers Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts.
Mawja – Aziza Brahim
This is the 5th album by the Sahrawi singer-songwriter, musician, and activist. Brahim describes the music as “desert punk” and she taps into her experiences of being born and growing up in a refugee camp in Algeria. The album explores themes of freedom, both personal and political.
It’s Sorted – Cheekface
The 4th album by the indie rock band is not only incredibly catchy but is also chock full of satirical witty critiques of capitalism and other societal ills.
The Joy of Sects – Chemtrails
The 3rd album by the UK band blends catchy melodies with an incisive lyrical wit. It is a collection of dance tunes for the pending apocalypse.
Unprecedented Sh!t – Ani DiFranco
On the veteran sing-songwriter 23rd album she explores common socio-political themes that she has addressed throughout her career. She made the following statement concerning the motives of the album: “We find ourselves in unprecedented times in many ways, faced with unprecedented challenges.”
Frog In Boiling Water – DIIV
DIIV’s 4th album is a political shoegaze that examines the ills of capitalism. The title refers to the experiment in which a frog fails to jump out of water as the temperature is gradually increased, eventually killing the frog.
Til My Song Is Done – Emma Donovan
The latest country-tinged album by the Australian Indigenous musician Emma Donovan was in response to issues such as Indigenous children being kept in lockdown as a fire spread through Darwin’s Don Dale prison and anti-fracking protests. The Gumbayngirr, Dhungutti, and Yamatji singer made the following statement concerning the album: “It feels like history is repeating itself because we are still singing about issues that are as relevant today in this country as they were back then. I wanted to acknowledge how tiring and hard this can be.”
pink balloons – Ekko Astral
This is the debut album by the experimental punk band fronted by climate reporter Jael Holzman. The album addresses issues ranging from her experiences as a trans woman and the ills of capitalism.
The Collective – Kim Gordon
The latest solo project by the influential Sonic Youth co-founder Kim Gordon contains strong themes of female empowerment. This is best exemplified in “I’m A Man”, in which she said: “It was sort of inspired by Republican conservatives like Josh Hawley, going around saying that feminism destroyed masculinity, that it’s not fair and feeling like victims… It’s kind of hilarious to me that he feels like a victim, or that men are being victimized. Everything’s dominated by white male power. But up through the ’50s and into the ‘60s, when men still had the masculine role of protector and savior — you know, the John Wayne, Ronald Reagan era masculinity — when that sort of faded and the culture changed… they became consumers like women, they were marketed to. So it’s really capitalism that’s spinning things this way.”
The Past Is Still Alive – Hurray For The Riff Raff
This is the 9th studio album by the project of Alynda Segarra. They started to compose the album a month after the death of their father. Even though it is deeply rooted in the personal, like previous releases the personal intersects with the political exploring environmental and LGBTQ+ issues.
No Moon – Spoon Jackson
This is the latest project from FREER Records (formerly Die Jim Crow), the first US record label for current and formerly incarcerated musicians. Spoon Jackson is an accomplished poet who more than 45 years ago, at the age of 20 was given a life sentence without parole (outlined on the album track “Hard But True”). Featuring production and musical contributions from Nicolas Snyder, the lo-fi and chilling soundscape adds weight to Jackson’s candid telling of the plight of the imprisoned.
LIVE From The Blacksite – Jesse Jett
The latest album by the explicitly political and prolific singer-songwriter, poet, and rapper is dedicated to the people of Palestine. Like previous albums, Jett unapologetically attacks both sides of the political aisle.
Strange Medicine – Kaia Kater
The latest album by the Canadian musician explores the concept of healing from both personal and political turmoil. Featuring a gifted cast of musicians such as Allison Russell, Aoife O’Donovan, and Taj Mahal, they well complement Kater’s considerable musical chops and her ability as a social commentator.
Sun Without the Heat – Leyla McCalla
Long before Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, McCalla explored the black musician’s contributions to the history of country music and Americana. She did this through her work with Our Native Daughters, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and her solo work. Her 5th album also effectively taps into music from the African diaspora.
Funeral For Justice – Mdou Moctar
The latest album by the Niger-based Tuareg musician is a powerful denouncement of colonial injustice. Moctar feels it is important to use his music to speak out. “We have to say that even if it’s difficult, even if it’s unsafe for us,” he said. “All those feelings push us to do this album and give it this strong name: Funeral for Justice.”
The Great Bailout – Moor Mother
The latest album by the prolific jazz poet and experimental musician Moor Mother explores the British slave industry, including an indictment of the 1835 act that compensated 46,000 slave owners with £20 million (over £2 billion today) for their loss of “property” due to the abolition of slavery. “Think,” she states on the motive of the album, “not one of the enslaved received a penny in the form of compensation.” She continues to say: “Someone needs to tell the truth.”
Greatest Hits – Mali Obomsawin and Magdalena Abrego
This cheekily titled collaborative album features Mali Obomsawin, a bassist/singer-songwriter from Odanak First Nation, and Magdalena Abrego, a Chicago-born guitarist whose parents migrated from Mexico and Puerto Rico. It is aptly described on Bandcamp as “a collection of songs about intimacy under colonialism.”
On All My Friends – Aoife O’Donovan
Not generally known as a political singer-songwriter, on her latest album O’Donovan is inspired by the passage of the 19th amendment and the words of suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt. She explores the historical developments of women’s rights in America.
Build Something Better – Grace Petrie
The latest album by the UK singer-songwriter Grace Petrie features her trademark insightful observations on societal ills. She balances the negativity that can come from facing a tide of political upheaval, with a sense of optimism about the possibility of rebuilding something better.
Notes From A Holocaust & Bearing Witness– David Rovics
Bit of a cheat because it is two albums, but both albums by the veteran singer-songwriter and activist are worth mentioning. Notes From A Holocaust is a cycle of songs written between October 13th and December 31st, 2023 in response to the Palestinian genocide. Bearing Witness continues its commentary on the Gaza genocide, but the album is also broader in scope, addressing other systemic ills as well. It also features a couple of reworkings of previously released tunes “St Patrick Battalion” and “In One World”.
Rooting For Love – Laetitia Sadier
On the 5th album by the Sterolab vocalist, she juxtaposes pleasant musical arrangements with pointed social commentary. She stealthily addresses serious issues such as femicide. According to her Bandcamp page: “Laetitia issues a call to the traumatized civilizations of Earth: we’re urged to finally evolve past our countless millennia of suffering and alienation.”
Echoes Of The Devils Den – Terminal Nation
The potent sophomore album by the death metal/hardcore band packs a heavy wallop. It also savagely rips apart systemic institutions as exemplified in “No Reform (New Age Slave Patrol).” (“Fuck every fucking cop that’s ever fucking lived!”)
Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force – Tzompantli
This is the sophomore album by the death/doom metal project of Brian Ortiz. He incorporates indigenous instrumentation like the Aztec death whistle, shells, shakers, and teponaztli slit drums. He also sings in the Nahuatl language to help paint a portrait of Mexico before colonization.
My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall – Various Artists
This is a compilation of tunes composed by Alice Randall, a novelist, and songwriter who was the first black woman to compose a number-one tune on the US country charts. Randall made the following statement concerning the project: “I had songs recorded in the 80s, in the 90s, in the 2000s, and 2010s, but I never once had the joy of hearing one of the songs that I wrote from the perspective of a Black woman recorded by a Black woman. With this project…I hope to change that.”
Humble As The Sun – Bob Vylan
This is the 3rd album by the UK grime punk band. Like their previous albums, they are unafraid to be explicitly political addressing governmental and corporate greed and exploitation.
Also, check out the playlist of the 2024 protest tunes featuring music featured on the website, including songs from the albums on this list.