Billy Bragg

A George Orwell quote on the inner sleeve of Billy Bragg's frustratingly uneven England, Half English suggests that Bragg is out to explore both his sense of alienation from his native land and England's alienation from its older, purer self. But while a couple of tracks, notably the withering "Take Down the Union Jack," fulfill that promise, overall the album is a decidedly mixed bag of character vignettes and the rabble-rousing political tunes that Bragg can probably write in his sleep by now. The best songs here are the small-scale ones, like "Another Kind of Judy" and "Jane Allen," gimlet-eyed but wryly affectionate portraits of troublesome women. "He'll Go Down," which is reminiscent of "Valentine's Day Is Over" from Workers Playtime, is also a winner. Where Bragg stumbles is on the overtly political tracks, most of which are dogmatic and strident. The anti-WTO "NPWA" (for "no power without accountability") is particularly awkward. Too slickly produced, as is much of the album, it sounds more like an angry undergraduate rant than the work of a mature songwriter. It's hard to argue with the line "We have no job security in this global economy," but even the most politically committed may wish Bragg had found a way to show more and tell less. England, Half English also fails to develop a unified musical voice; the songs skitter from pop to reggae to ska to the Algerian folk-based "Baby Farouk." It's nice to see an artist trying out new styles, but here they feel forced. The album is graced by a wonderful closing track, "The Tears of My Tracks," a Cockney take on Sam Cooke that may be the first got-the-blues-because-I-sold-all-my-vinyl song ever recorded. It's a reminder of what a sharp and charming songwriter Bragg can be; it's too bad more of England, Half English doesn't reflect his considerable gifts. [In 2006, an expanded and remastered edition of England, Half English was released by Yep Roc in the United States and Cooking Vinyl in the U.K.. In addition to the complete original album, the set is accompanied by a 14-song bonus disc featuring demos, single sides, compilation tracks and alternate takes. The pleasant surprise is that the bonus CD is as enjoyable, if not more so than the album proper; the tracks include a Middle Eastern-flavored cover of Ian Dury's "Billericay Dickie," a jaunty and pleasing take on Bruce Springsteen's "Mansion on the Hill," and heartfelt interpretations of "Glad and Sorry" by the Faces and "She Smiled Sweetly" by the Rolling Stones. Bragg's own "You Pulled the Carpet Out" and "Yarra Song" would both have fit nicely on England, Half English, while the demo of "Tears of my Tracks" and the full-band take of "Take Down the Union Jack" are more effective than their official counterparts. With the exception of "Dry Bed" (the most dubious of Bragg's Woody Guthrie adaptations so far), the England, Half English bonus disc is a solid and enjoyable listen that many fans will turn to at least as often as the album it accompanies. This version of England, Half English is also included in the Volume 2 box set.) ~ Kristi Coulter & Mark Deming, All Music Guide