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Amazon.co.uk Review
You'll be hard pressed to find good reason to call Billy Bragg a singer. He was never one back in the day and you can't go teaching old socialists new tricks. His spirited holler was carried through in his heyday by sheer bravado and the fact that his poetic punk monologues had to find their way to your ears somehow. But why, over recent years--and especially on Mr Love and Justice--has he increasingly indulged himself with shameless attempts on melody, you might ask. There's no easy answer, other than the inevitable mellowing of age and indeed battered vocal chords. But as he also drifts away from the fiery Clash and Costello inspirations of his younger self and expands more singularly on his love for the likes of Woody Guthrie and Wilco (with whom he collaborated on interpretations of Guthrie's unfinished songs), his work has developed a real warmth and comfort that it's hard not to be strangely touched by. His backing band, The Blokes, gel spiritedly through a host of country stompers (see "The Beach Is Free") and folk meanderings (see: "If You Ever Leave"). And don't mistake comfort for complacency either. He may be more Mr Love than Mr Justice these days, but he still knows how to rally and on "O Freedom", "The Johnny Carcinogenic Show" and the Hammond-delicious title track he makes his point as poetically as ever. He still really can't sing, mind. --James Berry
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Mr Bragg has previously been accused of trying to set Clause Four to music. And maybe he has at times with varying success. There should, however, be little contention about his towering songwriting abilities. Beauties such as "St Swithin's Day", the eternal "New England", the magnificent "Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards" and even some of the album tracks off the last 2 albums ("Sugar Daddy", "He'll Go Down") have showed some bite where mellowness may have set in.
"Mr Love & Justice" starts off rather well. "I Keep Faith" is not particularly arresting for anything on initial appearance but it does eventually charm you with a soulful lightness of touch and the sweet sound of Robert Wyatt's backing vocals. This stands up there with some of his finest.
Elsewhere highlights are "Sing Their Souls Back Home" which by rights could make you cringe but it somehow doesn't. "The Johnny Carcinogenic Show" works rather well tackling the calorific golden arches. "O Freedom" is Bragg at his most incisive.
However elsewhere things are either a little bland or have a wall of ugly guitar over them. The Blokes as a backing band seem to have lost their deftness and seem to clunk about like a drunk Crazy Horse.
"I Almost Killed You" passes by forgettably. The title track sounds like we've been here before. "Farm Boy" doesn't do much one way or the other.
The solo take on the songs does bring out more interest and some of the bear up well under this treatment.
Perhaps it's all a bit unfair. Life does change and you couldn't maybe expect a "Levi Stubbs Tears".
But there is a bit of blandness knocking around in the over. So whither Billy Bragg? This is not an overly arresting album but it is not without its charm. Bragg remains one of the most human and moving songwriters of the last 25 or so years. And this shows up in a handful of places on this album.
Maybe next time, when he gets round to it, he can get some fire back.
"Mr Love & Justice" starts off rather well. "I Keep Faith" is not particularly arresting for anything on initial appearance but it does eventually charm you with a soulful lightness of touch and the sweet sound of Robert Wyatt's backing vocals. This stands up there with some of his finest.
Elsewhere highlights are "Sing Their Souls Back Home" which by rights could make you cringe but it somehow doesn't. "The Johnny Carcinogenic Show" works rather well tackling the calorific golden arches. "O Freedom" is Bragg at his most incisive.
However elsewhere things are either a little bland or have a wall of ugly guitar over them. The Blokes as a backing band seem to have lost their deftness and seem to clunk about like a drunk Crazy Horse.
"I Almost Killed You" passes by forgettably. The title track sounds like we've been here before. "Farm Boy" doesn't do much one way or the other.
The solo take on the songs does bring out more interest and some of the bear up well under this treatment.
Perhaps it's all a bit unfair. Life does change and you couldn't maybe expect a "Levi Stubbs Tears".
But there is a bit of blandness knocking around in the over. So whither Billy Bragg? This is not an overly arresting album but it is not without its charm. Bragg remains one of the most human and moving songwriters of the last 25 or so years. And this shows up in a handful of places on this album.
Maybe next time, when he gets round to it, he can get some fire back.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a bit like meeting an old friend and catching up with their life and times. Interesting, funny, moving and going on a bit by turns, Bragg is a real person. There is more than enough here to engage with and enjoy. The Blokes are restrained and on form and the solo versions offer different perspectives on some great new songs. A couple of duds can't spoil the pleasure of spending some time with Bill again.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Although it's been six years since his last album England Half English, Billy Bragg is one artist who you can`t accuse of being lazy. Since releasing that LP, Billy has written a book The Progressive Patriot, made or appeared on countless TV and radio programmes and played numerous regular and low-key gigs and benefits around the World. And now he has brought out not just one new album buy two...
Yes the Deluxe Edition version of Mr. Love & Justice comes with two discs - the band version recorded with Billy's group The Blokes and a solo rendition of the same songs with Billy on vocals and crunchy electric guitar. Recorded after the band versions, the solo recordings will delight those from Billy's fanbase who still hanker for his one-man-and-a-guitar assault on the World in the 80s. They also of course beg the question as to which version of Bragg is best. My reply is that both the band and solo versions of the songs are worthy on this excellent album.
Not that the solo recordings are necessarily quieter than the full versions with this artist of course. Take the second song I Almost Killed You - the band version has a campfire feel whereas the solo take has loud, punky guitar like it's 1984 all over again. Both versions are excellent. Among the other highlights for me are the literal wordplay of M For Me, highly political O Freedom and Something Happened which dissects the difference between love and lust in two sentences over some of the grungiest guitar ever laid down on a Billy Bragg record.
Musically the key influences on Mr. Love & Justice are classic soul, folk and country rather than the mix of World music to celebrate multicultural Britain and rather less inspiring pub-rock on England Half English. There are though still plenty of instruments from around the World featured on the new album whose songs are much stronger than its predecessor. An excellent album then and Billy's best since 1991's Don't Try This At Home at the very least. It's worth the wait if it's this good as well as extra points for whoever had the idea of bringing out band and solo versions of the songs. Well done Billy on your best album for a long time.
Yes the Deluxe Edition version of Mr. Love & Justice comes with two discs - the band version recorded with Billy's group The Blokes and a solo rendition of the same songs with Billy on vocals and crunchy electric guitar. Recorded after the band versions, the solo recordings will delight those from Billy's fanbase who still hanker for his one-man-and-a-guitar assault on the World in the 80s. They also of course beg the question as to which version of Bragg is best. My reply is that both the band and solo versions of the songs are worthy on this excellent album.
Not that the solo recordings are necessarily quieter than the full versions with this artist of course. Take the second song I Almost Killed You - the band version has a campfire feel whereas the solo take has loud, punky guitar like it's 1984 all over again. Both versions are excellent. Among the other highlights for me are the literal wordplay of M For Me, highly political O Freedom and Something Happened which dissects the difference between love and lust in two sentences over some of the grungiest guitar ever laid down on a Billy Bragg record.
Musically the key influences on Mr. Love & Justice are classic soul, folk and country rather than the mix of World music to celebrate multicultural Britain and rather less inspiring pub-rock on England Half English. There are though still plenty of instruments from around the World featured on the new album whose songs are much stronger than its predecessor. An excellent album then and Billy's best since 1991's Don't Try This At Home at the very least. It's worth the wait if it's this good as well as extra points for whoever had the idea of bringing out band and solo versions of the songs. Well done Billy on your best album for a long time.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Something to Bragg about...
At last, Bragg is back! with his first album in 6 years "Mr Love & Justice". Far from going stale with age, this English songwriter just keeps getting better! Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2009 by N. Surry
Mr Love and Justice by Billy Bragg
A good recent addition to a Billy Bragg collection. Not all the melodies are as strong as some of his best stuff but still a number of pleasing tracks from the Braggmeister.
Published on 4 Feb 2009 by Mr. M. G. Watson
classic
what a great CD. Some great tracks with the identifying guitar sounds and then some. I loved the keep faith track. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2008 by zoe
Best Bragg for ages
I haven't got a lot to say other than this CD with the solo version is worth a lot more than the asking price. Grows on you as well.
Published on 16 May 2008 by Marling
Keep the Faith
`Mr Love and Justice' feels like the culmination of Billy Bragg's twenty five years as a solo performer with his song writing at it's most subtle since his 1996 album `William... Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2008 by Ian Wood, Author of 'Here's 2 Absent Fathers'
Timeless
Wonderful
Billy's age old themes with all the craft, complexity and wisdom of his years
The inclusion of an 'unplugged' solo version and a bad version makes this an... Read more
Billy's age old themes with all the craft, complexity and wisdom of his years
The inclusion of an 'unplugged' solo version and a bad version makes this an... Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2008 by R. S. Garbett
Do you know what, I like it.
i like it, but I prefer the band side on the whole. Fav song is Sing their souls back home, magic Sprigsteenish English gospel-soul-folk. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2008 by T. Stimson
Sorry to be 'downbeat', but this is distinctly average.
Extremely disappointing and clichéd set of songs, and not at all politically insightful (the 'best' we get is "Sing Their Souls Back Home", which is a dirge about getting... Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2008 by JOHN GREEN
Braggy Brilliant!
Mixing pop and politics...this is a great album; plus some cracking songs exploring the human heart. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2008 by T. Sandle
Mr Cool.
5 stars here - he just gets better and better. Nice to have the alternative formats of recordings with and without the band. Will stand up to many, many listenings.
Published on 7 Mar 2008 by A. Thurlow
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