“The Ballad of Renée Nicole Good” is a contemporary protest song from New York-based roots revivalist Victor V. Gurbo, responding to the January 2026 killing of Renée Nicole Macklin Good. A finalist in “When Voices Rise: A New Generation of Protest Music,” the track channels folk, blues, and country traditions into vivid storytelling while supporting an Immigrant Defense Fund campaign.
The lyricism is pointed and precise, setting the scene right away in its “9:35 on Portland Avenue” depiction, followed by Good’s own “I’m not mad at you” response to an ICE agent. Her attempt to defuse the situation is impactfully conveyed, as is the tragedy of her death. “Three children now don’t have the mother they should,” Gurbo laments, with frolicking acoustics and heartfelt strings assembling in spine-tingling form.
Gurbo’s pointed lyricism extends to a broader purview as he sings, “Jesus said ‘lend your neighbors a hand’ when a migrant resides among you in your land.” The track goes on to critique public responses to the incident, highlighting the stark contrast between official narratives and Good simply driving down the street. The steady instrumentation, focused on Gurbo’s acoustic alongside Mark Caserta’s electric guitar and Katie Chambers’ cello, puts the stirring, grittily poignant lyricism front and center. “The Ballad of Renée Nicole Good” is a touching output from Victor V. Gurbo, shining a light on a grave injustice, as quality protest songs should.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
