Billy Bragg: Mr. Love and Justice

By this stage in his career, a new record from Billy Bragg is like a visit from a long lost friend: it’s great to get a fresh new perspective on all the things that made you like him in the beginning, but you also get to see all the little details that led to the estrangement in the first place.

It’s been six years since his last full length release, but the Bard of Barking is, for the most part, still on top of his game. His writing is confident and self-assured, and even though there are no sure-fire pop hits like “Sexuality” on this disc, the sublime craftsmanship of tunes like “I Keep Faith,” “If You Ever Leave” and the aptly-titled “Mr. Love and Justice” should be more than enough to satisfy devotees.

As the album title suggests, the songs are pretty much either about relationships or politics, but surprisingly Bragg seems to be writing more with his heart than his head these days. The love songs are definitely in the majority on this album, which might disappoint some, but in the end it helps make the record a more intimate and personal listening experience. The political songs, except for the powerful “O Freedom,” just don’t measure up to their romantic counterparts. As the awkward wordplay of “The Johnny Carcinogenic Show” clearly illustrates, love songs just make better poetry.

Regrettably, the album ends a little flat, with Bragg singing “Farm Boy” in an uncomfortably low key, but all in all it was good getting reacquainted with England’s “national treasure,” and I hope he doesn’t wait another six years before coming around again.

Search for songs by Billy Bragg on iTunes