Tell it like it is
Straight Out Scribes’ Staajabu and V.S. Chochezi focus on their priorities.
On Straight Out Scribes’ new CD, Priorities, the mother-daughter poets waste no time revealing their own. By the second track, the Scribes assert, “Poetry is my thang / but poems are lame / if they don’t speak of change.” The 26 tracks on this self-produced disc hit hard on subjects like racial intolerance, environmental pollution and self-destructive habits, occasionally lightening up with pieces like “If I Could Sing.” “I’d sing instead of talking / with or without music.” The heavy ideas are soothed by jazz accompaniment—a little aural sugar to make the medicine go down. It’s an impressive achievement by one of Sacramento’s longest-running poetry acts. Help the Scribes celebrate at their CD-release party, this Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Carol’s Books, located at 300 Florin Road. Admission is free, refreshments will be served, and after Straight Out Scribes perform, the mic will be open. Call (916) 428-5611 for more information.
