Obama Mia!

Obama Mia is the 29th collection of song parodies written and performed by the Capitol Steps, a group of former Capitol Hill staffers. As indicated by the CD title, Barack Obama's successful presidential run is touched upon, though it seems as if only Democrats were involved in writing the political songs in this volume. While Hillary Clinton, disgraced former Illinois Governor Ron Blagojevich and briefly, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, receive a few brickbats, former President George W. Bush and Governor Sarah Palin are skewered as absolute dimwits. It is apparent that no one involved in the making of this CD wanted to rain on Obama's parade. The Capitol Steps have consistently poked fun at both Democrats and Republicans in the past, nailing those who utter pompous or ill-informed statements, indulge in extramarital affairs, demonstrate a gross lack of ethics, etc. Other possible but overlooked targets include Senator Chris Dodd and Representative Barney Frank. That said, most of the songs are well-executed with many in the cast proving themselves to be convincing mimics, especially Mike Tilford (as Russian leader "Vladimir Putin" in the soulful "Midnight Raid on Georgia" andKevin Corbett as Bush. Topics of the moment are well-represented, including the auto bailout in "Help Me, Honda," the ridiculous "Octomom" (in a side-splitting reworking of "Greensleeves"), and the riotous, Tony Bennett-flavored "I Wrecked My Heart with Spam and Crisco." It will be interesting to see if there's a shift in the writing for volume thirty.