World Music, Vol. II - Claire Prendergast

Irish alternative folk singer-songwriter Claire Prendergast is my latest random YouTube discovery, part of a process where I'll input a string of words in the YouTube search engine, like "ukelele" and "folk", or "accordion" and "radiohead", and see what pops up.

Claire does some very charming cover versions of songs by artists such as Radiohead and A-ha, which I quite like, but it's her original material that really captured my attention...  after all, how can you not like a young Irish folk singer who writes songs about "zombies, polar bears and shovels"?

Paul Kimball

Pop Matters: Bob Dylan, "With God On Our Side"

With more than one candidate for the Republican presidential nomination claiming that God has told them to run for President, and with American leaders constantly telling citizens that America has God on their side, this song is more timely than ever.

Paul Kimball