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Elly Roberts reviews
Cooking Vinyl
- March 2008
- Rating: 4/10
With his band The Blokes, Billy Bragg comes out of recording retirement after 6 years in the wilderness.
Bragg and musical buddies Ian McLagan, Ben Mandelson, Lu Edmonds, Martyn Barker,Simon Edwards follow their inimitable raw and ready approach once again. Hesalso joined by guest vocalist Robert Wyatt for one song, opener Keep The Faithwhich sounds like something out of a Van Morrison songbook. The soulful countrytinged formula is raining down all over this release.
Bragg isnt one for the big impression musically, and the overall feel is arather uncomfortable marriage with his band, to the extent, that on the limitededition issue, hes release the same tracklisting as a solo effort, which Braggdevotees will probably prefer.
For me Bragg has always been a solo performer, and always will be. On I Almost Killed Youtheres a strong Irish musical connection, nice splashes of harmonica, accordionand echoed handclaps aplenty punctuated by edgy guitar solos. M for Me isa gentle acoustic lead ballad which is a typical Bragg composition that is sharplycontrasted by the rough – edged bar band sound on the RnB shuffle of The Beach Is Free.
On You Make Me Brave and If You Ever Leave hes reflecting on relationships,though theyre limp ballads, like a man resigned to accepting how they are, orshould be. Above all, theres no indication of any heartfelt emotion, instead akind of middle aged acceptance. The last three song sound like a man who hasntthought through the fact hes confronted with making an entire album, whichafter half a decade, isnt a good creative sign.
Knowing Braggs passion for having a pop at what he considers to be an injustice,its surprising the lack of real conviction and his forte, passion. Maybe, as heapproaches the big 50, hes mellowing after all, and its a great shame becausethis doesnt match anything from his effusive past. Theres too much of asing-along quality like Sing Their Souls Back Home and I Keep Faith In You.
File under: Bitterly disappointing.
Weblinks:billybragg.co.uk /cookingvinyl.com /jailguitardoors.org.uk
The full list of tracks included are :
1. I Keep Faith
2. I Almost Killed You
3. M For Me
4. The Beach Is Free
5. Sing Their souls Back Home
6. You Make Me Brave
7. Something Happened
8. Mr. Love & Justice
9. If You Ever Leave
10. O Freedom
11. The Johnny Carcinogenic Show
12. Farm Boy
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.