Review Roundup: Joe Troop & The Truth Machine…
Written by Chris Griffy for Concert Hopper
04.03.2026
Joe Troop & the Truth Machine- Joe Troop & the Truth MachineI rarely review EP because there just isn't enough meat on the bone to warrant a full review when an album is only 20 minutes long. But I've been following Joe Troop's career for several years, from the genre-bending international Che Apalache to his solo work to his Americanafest 2025 performance as Larry & Joe. So when I heard about his new bluegrass band The Truth Machine, I knew I had to give it a listen. I wasn't disappointed. Despite its brevity (clocking in at just over 18 minutes), Troop and crew hit on some heavy topics across the album's five tracks, albeit sometimes with tongue very firmly in cheek.
The album's highlight track is album opener “Billionaires.” A humorous look at an apologist for the rich, the song is hilariously overboard, with lyrics like “Billionaires will set us free / They're sent from God / To save a wretch like me.” It just gets sillier from there as Troop hits on everything from trickle down economics to prosperity gospel, all in a mockingly devoted tone. You also have to give credit where it's due. When a songwriter can rhyme “green new deal,” “Stop the Steal,” and “baby, drill drill drill” all in one verse you've got some talent on your hands.
On the other side is the soberingly haunting album closer “Mercy for Migrants.” While not a surprising take from an artist who has always had an international bent to his music, Troop manages to take a topic that has been done a lot over the last decade or so and give it new life with a slow banjo roll, a gospel-like delivery, and simple declarations like “Why aren't we there for each other / Mercy is for everyone.”
Look, I don't do “important” in album reviews. An album can deftly tackle tough political subjects and I'll give it its props, but in the end, there has to be some entertainment value to bring me back to it enough to review. Joe Troop & the Truth Machine finds that balance.
