New West

Though Tom Morello’s 2008 solo acoustic work as The Nightwatchman was considered a radical image departure, World Wide Rebel Songs has Morello flirting with a variety of musical idioms while shifting effortlessly between electric guitarist and folk troubadour. With his new band, The Freedom Fighter Orchestra, Morello delivers insightful messages of politics and injustice like a combined Woody Guthrie and Che Guevara. The album opens with the aggressive rock offering, “Black Spartacus Heart Attack Machine,” but veers immediately into the Latin-tinged “The Dogs of Tijuana” with Morello picking flamenco style. Morello’s forceful and pyrotechnic playing appears on several songs, but this album is less about individual skills as it is about building creatively potent songs as the catalyst for his messages. Ben Harper contributes vocals and slide work on “Save the Hammer for the Man.” Morello’s second Nightwatchman is a testament to his abilities as a musician and songwriter.