In Pinamonti's new album, listen to "The Burrow," "It Wasn't the Rain," and more

Brooklyn roots musician John Pinamonti, best known in AY circles for his live version of "The Burrow," part-elegy, part-fight song, has released a studio version of the song--with richer instrumentation--as part of his fifth album, End of Smith.

It's well worth a listen, as is the rest of the album.

Mixed blessings

The title song refers to, yes, the mixed blessing of gentrification on Smith Street, once home to bricks and auto parts and wild dogs, now a place for some gifts and a new health spa. (Pinamonti's version of "Back in the Old Days" touches on similar ground.)

You can buy End of Smith online, but I'm sure it will be available at his next gig, which is May 30, as well as at future gigs.

"It Wasn't the Rain"

To my mind, however, the strongest song on the album is "It Wasn't the Rain," another mix of elegy and fight song, about Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. (The excerpt online doesn't convey its full power.)

Sample lyrics:
It wasn't the rain/it wasn't the wind/it was just greed and power/winning again.

It wasn't the storm/it wasn't the surge/it was just poor people/being purged.

You might hear some thematic connections between "The Burrow" and "It Wasn't the Rain."