May 27 2026
“There’s a Change A-Comin’” by Wiser Time"
Carmen Sclafani performs under the name “Wiser Time.” The stage name is a bit pretentious and self-indulgent, but it does contain some truth in advertising. The singer/songwriter is attempting to resuscitate that protest spirit of 1960s folk and rock. At least in terms of artist engagement with societal crises, it was a “wiser time” in American culture.
Wiser Time (Sclafani) has a soulful voice and play his acoustic guitar in a warm, intimate style. It is a pleasure to listen to him weave stories and emote through political and personal subject matter, but the minimal accompaniment, soft delivery, and down tempo of most of the material does create a sense of repetition throughout the nine original compositions of “There’s a Change A-Comin’.”
None of that is to say that there aren’t profound and deeply moving highlights, most especially the evocative and tenderly emotional “If You Never See Me Again” and the soul-fused “Divided.” On the latter, Wiser Time’s voice communicates in the frequency of the heart, as it resembles Richie Kotzen.
Of the political songs, “The People’s House” is the most powerful. Singing in the voice of one of the January 6th insurrectionists, he threatens to kill Nancy Pelosi, boasts of destroying and defiling government property, and confidently expresses his expectation for a pardon. It was a brilliant move to adopt the voice of one of the villains rather than one of the heroes or victims. Wiser Time, through the gift of his song and the courage of his indignation, reminds listeners how dark, stupid, and dangerous our times have become when the president of the United States aids and protects terrorists, while defaming and threatening their targets.
Wiser Time, despite the album’s flaws, has delivered a soulful and bracing testimony of the power of art in defiance of injustice.
David Masciotra (www.davidmasciotra.com) is the author of four books, including Barack Obama: Invisible Man (Eyewear Publishing, 2017) and Mellencamp: American Troubadour (University Press of Kentucky, 2015).
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