A casually caustic Mose
Allison singing ‘Stop This World’ is something which seems very much of the
moment, what with the way he suggests someone stopping this world, and letting
him off, because there’s too many pigs in the same trough, too many buzzards
sitting on the fence, and none of it is making any sense. Well, it’s easy to
see where he’s coming from, and how it might be applied to the world today.
The song itself is a
perfect example of Mose’s lightness of touch, the way he uses his wit as a
weapon, with raised eyebrows and a studied nonchalance of manner. Mose and his
piano are accompanied here by bluesy horns, which add to the drama. He may be down
but he’s still the master of ironic inflections and acute observations delivered
in a deadpan and detached wry way, the singer of songs which sting just as much
as someone ranting and raving, yelling and hollering.
