Work of Genius by the David Bowie of Southern Illinois
by Scone Mason
Stace England, the eclectic songwriter from the lesser-known half of Illinois, has enlisted 72 men and women from all over hell to help him construct a genuine work of genius that tells the fascinating history of Cairo, Illinois with pertinent and enthralling musical touchstones from the eras the songs' stories take place in. The story of Cairo is a microcosm of the civil rights struggle of the 20th Century, but it has a much sadder ending than the national struggle. Cairo sits as a nearly abandoned shell of a town on the southernmost tip of illinois, where a thriving city should stand at the crux of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. That great city was not to be, its own people made it a sacrificial lamb to the racial strife that overwhelmed Cairo's community for over a hundred years. Stace England spent five years researching what happened in Cairo and why, and he applied his knowledge to the songs he wrote about the town, but there was more. Stace went to Cairo, got to know its people, and came to love the town for what it was, which added a bittersweet element to the album he intended to write about its history. Despite his need to tell the whole story, warts and all, England marches through all the diversity to end the album on a hopeful note. He really does want there to be a happy ending somewhere down the line for Cairo. Perhaps by telling its history through this remarkable musical journey, traversing genres and eras with ease, Stace can help Cairo find a catharsis in the music. By hearing songs about its past, the community might be able to put the darker moments of its history to rest and sing along with Stace when he says "Can't We All Just Get Along?"
