It takes a certain sort of bravery to do political satire in the contemporary world–the bravery that combines acuity with real musicianship. Albert Ahlf strikes that balance with “The MAGA Song” which is simultaneously cabaret throwdown and folk-rock sermon.
The very first chord of the piano tells you that you are in the hands of a serious time behind the key boards. Ahlf has no jazz credentials to window dressing, but they are the foundation of a song which turns through melodic progressions with the fluidity of an old-time performer who has long been able to read rooms and learn the art of dynamics. There is that theatrical impact of his vocal delivery, full of sarcasm but never losing its melodic hold. It is protest music that does not lose art in order to get a point across.
The MAGA Song is landmarked by its unwillingness to hold back but remain musically catchy. Ahlf does not indulge in dull raving and howling. Rather he plays into the deep harmonies, the playful arrangements and a structure that keeps you glued either by nodding to the politics or simply having a feel of the craft. Some Randy Newman stinging character work here, some of the indignant wrath of young Dylan, all through the jazz-soaked prism of Ahlf.
It is hard to come across a political commentary that does not seem preachy or musically one-dimensional, but Ahlf, who has spent his life playing everywhere, including Dizzy Club to piano bars in Nyack, realizes that the protest songs that people actually want to hear are the best. The MAGA Song is not merely a statement, but it is a good listen. Clever, rhythmically full and not scared to speak what it says, this is the type of song that makes you remember that music is not toothless.