The only thing that bothers me about this album is I
can't say for sure whether I would like it as much if
I didn't know it was Joe Strummer.  The Clash is one
of a handful of bands toward whom I have romanticized,
preposterous feelings of good will and maybe I cannot
objectively review anything with which a former Clash
member is associated.  I mean, I *Really Like* Big
Audio Dynamite.


But what Strummer has created here is something that I
think is really very good.  The 10 songs on this album
are marvellously diverse--there are rock influences,
reggae influences, even some electronic influences. 
And Strummer is an absolute master of rhythm and
catchy hooks.


Just like the Clash doing white boy reggae wasn't them
trying to ape reggae masters such as Doctor
Alimantado, but rather building on those roots; when
Strummer does a sort of white boy blues (as on
"Snadpaper Blues") it isn't just him apeing Muddy
Waters, it's Strummer putting his own spin on things,
and the result is quite compelling.


Nitcomb is a charming gem revealing bluegrass/country
and western roots.


Rock Art is still treating many of the same themes
addressed in London Calling and The Clash, but through
different musical styles.  The era for boisterous punk
rock may have passed by completely -- and it has
certainly passed for Strummer.  What is left in its
wake, in the hands of one of the most boisterous and
most punk of punk rockers, is an album that comes off
as authentic, catchy, genuine.  There is no false
bravado left -- the crap has indeed been cut.