Original Songs for Causes
Album compiles Edmonton singer-songwriter’s protest songs.
Paula Eve Kirman – Edmonton-based singer-songwriter, documentary photographer/filmmaker, and journalist – is known for breaking out her guitar at protests and singing an original song about peace, the environment, and housing.
These are just some of the themes of the songs on the aptly-titled Causes, a compilation of Kirman’s protest songs previously released on albums or as singles. Followers of Kirman will instantly recognize “Walls,” a lament about peace that is as relevant today as when she wrote it in 2008. There’s “Butterflies and Rainbows” about the supposed Alberta Advantage and its effects on housing, the environment, and Indigenous land rights. “Summer” is the story of an unhoused woman and was a finalist in the Lyrics category of the International Songwriting Competition in 2017.
“Daughters Day” was commissioned as the theme song for the annual Edmonton-based celebration of women’s achievements in Alberta. “Long Way Around,” previously only available as a single online, reflects upon housing security while “The Ghost in the Alley” tells the story of community gentrification. “Still Here” is written from the perspective of an adult who survived war as a child – while the protagonist’s friend did not. “Marching in the Street”- what Kirman says is the first protest song she ever wrote – combines the themes of peace, environment, and housing.
“An activist friend challenged me to write a protest song, and that’s what came out,” she says. “I actually write about a lot of topics, but I am best known for my protest songs because I started singing them so often at marches and rallies, and incorporated them into my live shows. I wanted to collect these songs in one place – and throw in something extra.”
That “something extra” is “Won’t Vote You In,” a revised version of the rocking “Won’t Let You In” from Kirman’s second release, 2023’s Corners. This time, the message is political. An earlier version of this song became a viral video during the pandemic. Kirman decided to re-release the song with updated production, with the current provincial political climate in mind.
Causes is Kirman’s third full-length release and is available on streaming services and Kirman’s Bandcamp (https://paulaevekirman.bandcamp.com).
Words-Pictures-Music 