After his recent appearance on the blog with video for track, ‘Day Ones’ Canadian rap veteran ARLO MAVERICK unleashes his second solo album, ‘Blue Collar’. The collection draws on personal experiences to give a compelling account of the grind and hurdles of a blue-collar worker.
Much of the themes on ‘Blue Collar’ revolve around a universal pursuit of purpose, prosperity, and happiness, from the disillusionment of the job market after graduating from college to the gratification of indulging in material things to being undervalued at a 9 to 5. It’s an album that tries to capture the seemingly endless balancing act to meet our personal needs, satisfy our wants, and get ahead in an economic environment that makes it harder and harder to do so.
“This album comes from a personal place, but the overall message of hard-work, self-determination, and perseverance is a universal one,” said Arlo Maverick. “I hope this record resonates with blue-collar workers in Alberta, and across the country – people who are working hard, trying to keep their head above water and make their dreams a reality no matter how out of reach they may seem.”
On ‘Night Shift,’ the album’s centrepiece, Maverick ponders the tension between balancing making ends meet and material success, and the overwhelming sacrifices made to reap the rewards. In sharing his story of real-life hurdles, he offers an empowering anthem to the bleary-eyed workers of the world navigating similar experiences.
Elsewhere, the experienced rhymer takes his sound into bold new directions, experimenting with UK drill (‘Retail Therapy’), and flexing his vocals on the soulful trap number (‘Day Ones’), all while keeping true to his appetite for old-school hip-hop flavours and gospel (‘Losing My Religion’).
Maverick holds nothing back on tracks like ‘On Me,’ about taking accountability to build a legacy, and the album closer, ‘Nothing of Value,’ which details the effects of an abusive shop floor supervisor and a worker’s eventual breaking point: “Walk away from everything/You’ll be lucky if I leave a note.” It’s an explosive finale that speaks to self-determination in the workforce, and the ability to take back control of one’s own fate.
Having spent the entirety of his solo career delivering scathing social critiques, with ‘Blue Collar’ he continues to spark conversations about the frustrations of work life and professional ambitions. An instantly relatable collection of songs, ‘Blue Collar’ positions the rapper as a powerful voice for the working-class.
Check out the powerful album below…
Must Listens: On Me, Night Shift, Late Nights, Father, Nothing Of Value
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