Popa Chubby - Peace, Love & Respect (2004)

If you've ever seen Popa Chubby live, you're probably a fan. He pours his heart and soul into his shows and he's got a ton of presence and charisma. That's how he attracted such a loyal following, but listening to his early records alone sure didn't add up to the live experience. Maybe it's because his flippin'-the-bird-till-I-die attitude only went so far without the smoke and beer, but all that began to change with 2002's The Good, the Bad and the Chubby and it's pivotal, 9/11-related cut, "Somebody Let the Devil Out." Peace, Love and Respect equals the energy and inspiration of The Good, the Bad and the Chubby and adds more focus with its overriding frustration with America 2004, George W. Bush in particular. The opening "Top Ten Reasons Why I Can't Sleep at Night" is a gimmicky song with Chubby rattling off a list of grievances and the stiff production does it no favors (a missed opportunity the singer will no doubt correct on the road). "Life Is a Beatdown" is a slow burner that would have found a better home toward the end of the album, but from the slinky and lyrically striking "Like the Buddha Do" to the end of the album there is no filler. Troubled by the attraction of the military, "Young Men" advises the youth to "Stay at home and live your lives." Besides being the centerpiece of the album, it's Chubby's most heartfelt song yet and following it with a roaring version of the Carter Family's "Keep on the Sunny Side" is a dark and poignant move that no one could have foreseen four or five albums ago. The commentary just flows out of Chubby for the rest of the album like Joe Strummer was writing for Double Trouble, and the band stays gritty and tight throughout. Peace, Love and Respect takes some time to really get going, but when it does it's a winning combination of bar band guts and troubled-times reflection that matches the urgency of Chubby's live shows.