Editorial Reviews
Music Review:
Music Review
Verdi: Ballo (Highlights); Liszt: Les Preludes
Trance Nation: Future [Import]
The Song Remains The Same [Original recording remastered]
What It's About Here [CD-single]
Amazon.com
In the afterglow of the remarkable Mermaid Avenue, the dean of British agit-rock turns in a new set of collaborations, this time with running mates Ben Mandelson, Lu Edmonds, Martyn Barker, Simon Edwards, and Ian McLagan. While the Blokes' arrangements find the earthy adventurousness--dabbling in a bit of neo-ska, gospel soul, and polyrhythmic world beats--that defined the Mermaid sessions, Bragg's songwriting often sputters through overly didactic and barely clever slams on multinational capitalism, British nationalism, and working-class exploitation. Bragg has railed against it all before--and with considerably more wit. The new romantic songs, especially the bouncy "Another Kind of Judy" and the gorgeous immigrant's reverie "Distant Shore," find the sharp and sweet catchiness of Bragg's best work, but the rest of the album rarely does. --Roy Kasten
Album Description
'England, Half-English', is his first album of all-original songs in over five years, features Billy and his touring band The Blokes continuing that spirit of rollicking collaboration. As always, Billy deftly mixes the personal and the political on a dozen tracks that are by turns joyous, rocking, angry, inspiring, melancholy and beautiful. 2002.