Music Throwback Thursday: Little Steven's 'Voice Of America'

Each Thursday we look back at a nearly forgotten piece of music that deserves a second look. This week we're highlighting the 1984 Little Steven Van Zandt album "Voice Of America."

If you know Little Steven at all, it's probably because of his acting on THE SOPRANOS or thanks to his long-running spot as Bruce Springsteen's foil in the E-Street Band. But in the 1980s Little Steven released several really solid solo albums and my personal favorite is his second release, "Voice Of America."

His first solo release was the soul-tinged 1982's "Men Without Women," which was released under the moniker of Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. Van Zandt fronted a horn-heavy band that cranked out catchy rock/soul numbers and the album garnered a lot of critical praise. The band featured original Rascals drummer Dino Danelli and it was formed during Van Zandt's production of two Gary U.S. Bond albums. I happened to see a concert on the tour supporting the release that included The Greg Kihn Band and it was one of my favorite concert experiences of the decade.

But despite the critical praise, the album didn't sell all that well and Van Zandt regrouped, returning the following year with the politically charged "Voice Of America." While the lead single "Out of the Darkness" is a synthesizer-driven rock number that managed to get some airplay on MTV, much of the album is comprised of harsh condemnations of the Reagan Administration, the U.S. policy in Central America and the resulting refugee problems. Thanks to "Out of the Darkness," the album was Van Zandt's best-selling solo album and it led into his work on 1985's protest charity single "Sun City," which could have been an outtake from the album.
Today, "Voice Of America" is basically forgotten, although the track "I Am A Patriot" became a favorite of Jackson Browne, who recorded it in 1989 and continues to sing it in concert. But the album doesn't seem to be available for streaming, the album is out of print and only a couple of tracks are available digitally, as part of a "Best of Little Steven" collection.

Here is the official video for "Out of Darkness" as well as the complete "Voice of America" release. It isn't a perfect album, but it deserves a better fate than a couple of lines in the official Little Steven bio.