Shawn Maxwell plays mostly alto sax on this album of various duets, solos, quartets and trios, along with a dash of soprano sax and clarinet. The teamings are quite clever, and the titles reflect his opinions on various social and political issues. Whether you are red or blue state, you can still enjoy the music, which is quite creative. On alto, he teams up with violin (Marielle de Rocca Serra), bass (Michael Barton) and drums (Phil Beale), he creates a nice blues feel on alto during JC Jones” whle he’s dreamy with Collin Clauson/key and Tim Seisser/b on “Empty Shelf”. A mournful “Quiet House” with Zvonmir Tot/g-str, Marc Piane/b and Lucas Gillian/dr is an emotive affair, and anger from the draconian effects of the COVID lockdown is delivered with drummer Ernie Adams on “The Show Can’t Go On”. On soprano, clever voices by Keri Johnsrud and John Stafford II and Craig Elliot’s guitar produce “No Peace Without Justice” while solitude is reflected with Mark Nelson on keyboards for “Every Day Is Monday” and on “Lockdown” as Maxwell’s clarinet yearns with Gina DeGregorio’s vibes. Maxwell bares his soul here, making you want to have a chat with him between sets next time he gets a chance to tour.