In the CD booklet of her new album, Ani DiFranco says that "art is activism" and therefore it's pointless to try and distinguish them in terms of their effect on each other. But political engagement can often have a stultifying effect on an artist's work. It's easy to fall back on platitudes when trying to incorporate views about current events into music, which is why a lot of singers steer clear of politics in their songs, even if they have strong opinions.
But sometimes the emotions churned up by political realities can act as a catalyst. Rickie Lee Jones, it appears, needed the administration of George W. Bush to help her emerge from the creative doldrums, a seven-year period when she thought she didn't have anything more to write about. During that time her recorded work comprised a live album (her second) and a collection of covers.
"The Evening of my Best Day," Jones' first CD of new material since 1997's "Ghostyhead," contains three strident songs related to America's current political situation. Ambiguity is an important quality of the best personal art, but there is nothing ambiguous about "Ugly Man," the song that opens the album. "He's an ugly man, he always was an ugly man," Jones singsongs in her familiar childlike drawl to a jazzy 6/8 beat, "He grew up to be like his father, an ugly man."