Cooder follows his garlanded "California trilogy" with a fierce state-of-the-nation album. Musically, it's grounded in the blues, folk and Tex-Mex the guitarist explored in the 1970s, but its songs belong to modern times. "No Banker Left Behind" cocks a snook at the financiers who have "robbed the nation blind" to jaunty mandolin. The growling "I Want My Crown" swipes at the greed that brings "war without end" and the lush "Dirty Chateau" looks at the hypocrisy surrounding Latin immigration. The humour is often savage – a sprightly accordion heralds a story of damaged troops – but Cooder's aim is true. He's become a Woody Guthrie for our times.