Everyone knows Rage. From “Bulls on Parade,” to “Guerilla Radio,” to “Killing in the Name,” Rage Against the Machine has made an indelible mark on the American Political Rock scene.

As the guitarist and leader of both Rage and Audioslave, Tom Morello is considered one of the best guitarists of the 90’s and beyond. Recently, Morello has been focusing on developing his alter ego, The Nightwatchman.

A mixture of Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan, the Nightwatchman was described by Morello as, “the black Robin Hood of 21st century music.”

Morello was first inspired by the allure of grass-roots movements as a political science major at Harvard University. He then became heavily involved with organizations such as Parents for Rock and Rap and other anti-censorship organizations. Morello “discovered” The Nightwatchman as a result of playing numerous informal gigs in California coffeehouses.

In 2004, outraged by the prospect of reelecting Bush, Morello took to the road for the first time as the Nightwatchman with the “Tell Us The Truth” tour to raise political awareness for the upcoming election.

A few weeks ago, Morello released his second acoustic album as the Nightwatchman, “The Fabled City.” In comparison to his first album, “One Man Revolution,” Morello seems much more confident with his role as a vocalist and lyricist. However, this album seems targeted for only the most devoted of Rage aficionados; the album is devoid of signature face-melting riffs and Zack de la Rocha’s flow.

The politically leftist lyrics, more often than not, come off as, to quote Connor Oberst, “trite, cheap, and a waste.” Few of the songs, save “The Lights Are On In Spidertown” and “Gone Like The Rain” merit laudable review. In a word, the album is dull. Serj Tankian’s vocal and lyrical support on “Lazarus on Down” don’t provide much relief.

Over the course of the next couple of months, Morello will be playing in 20 US cities, including Boston, to promote his new album. I couldn’t agree more with Dom Gourlay’s message: “Don’t give up the day job Tom, please.”

Quotes From:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1551733/20070206/morello_tom.jhtml
http://www.contactmusic.com/new/home.nsf/albumreview/tom-morello-the-fabled-cityx09x10x08