Singer-Songwriter Seth Hilary Jackson Strikes a Chord with “One More Song About Peace”
By Ismaila M.S. Naban for Country Music News International Magazine
In a world where wars unabatedly spread their tentacles across the globe, causing untold death and destruction, the search for lasting peace is an imperative and a noble crusade. It becomes a duty for every human being to contribute his or her quota to making this world a better place to live in and tackling the violent conflicts bedeviling the world. This is exactly what the award-winning American artist Seth Hilary Jackson set out to do, using his guitar and voice to try to make a difference, no matter how small.
It could be recalled that following some of worst shocking mass shootings in the United States, the award-winning singer/song writer felt compelled to speak out through his music with a song titled, “Thoughts and Prayers”, in which Jackson called out the politicians who stand by and do nothing while shooting deaths in America continue to mount.
“Gun violence in America is out of control. Mass shootings have become almost a daily occurrence. After every one of these shootings, certain politicians go to the media assuring us that their thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. We’ve heard these exact words, “thoughts and prayers” to the point where they’ve become a meme. Many of us are sick and tired of hearing them. They’re insincere. We want action.
“But the gun manufacturers have a lot of power. They contribute a lot of money to political campaigns, mostly supporting Republican Party candidates. Republicans oppose pretty much all gun control regulations, so, they block every attempt to do anything about gun violence. Some even want to further expand access to guns. This is what inspired the song,” he had stated inter alia.
However, with wars in Ukraine, Gaza, the Sudan, and gang violence in Haiti continuing to take heavy tolls on people, particularly women and children with no practical solutions within sight, this reporter posited to Mr. Jackson the urgent need for musicians to sing more about peace in this world of conflicts.
The star did not hesitate to accept the challenge as he released yet another powerful emotional song that has the power to touch the heart of anyone interested in seeing a kinder, more cooperative world.
Seth, whose pop and country songs have been placed with recording artists and in film and TV (Series), and had several in the ‘Top 10’ on European Country Music Association airplay charts, was privileged to have received a Presidential invitation to the White House because of his song “Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis”, the true story of a war hero who sacrificed himself to save his friends.
In his latest song, the artist with his scintillating guitar sound, pleaded:
One More Song About Peace
The soldiers and the missiles
The rubble of the buildings
The ever-growing toll of death
I can’t fathom all the killing
I sit in my comfortable living room thousands of miles away
Trying to come up with something deep and important to say but
The evils of war
Have been covered before
I got no new world-changing thoughts to unleash
So all I can do
Is hope I’ll break through
With one more song about peace
A song won’t stop an army
I can’t undo the bombing
But if I can touch a single heart
At least that would be something
So I’ll send this one simple message out to anyone I can
It shouldn’t be a whole lot to ask for, just be kind to your fellow man
The evils of war
Have been covered before
I got no new world-changing thoughts to preach
So all I can do
Is hope I’ll break through
With one more song about peace
I picture a time when armies and guns are replaced by cooperation
Coz every impossible dream come true starts with the imagination
The evils of war
Have been covered before
I got no new world-changing thoughts to teach
So all I can do
Is hope I’ll break through
With one more song about peace
So here’s one more song about peace
With Seth playing his part, it is my hope that other singers will emulate him by creating songs geared towards ending these senseless wars that plague our world today.
Find “One More Song About Peace” on Seth’s website your favorite streaming platform or watch the video on YouTube.