England, Half English

By 2002, Billy Bragg had skated in and out of the public eye, slowing down the usual singer/songwriter album-tour-album-tour grind to his own pace. He collaborated with American alt-country rockers Wilco for two *Mermaid Avenue* collections, which set his idol Woody Guthrie’s lyrics to music; then he put together this collection with his own established backing group. His political convictions are in stronger voice than on his last batch of solo albums, which clearly favored his sweet romantic side. However, his anti–World Trade Organization tune “NPWA” (No Power Without Accountability) plays unevenly, while “Take Down the Union Jack” is more vintage Bragg, making its case without transforming into a treatise on law and order. The band chemistry allows for some unexpected twists: the use of reggae and ska rhythms (“He’ll Go Down,\" “Baby Farouk”) adds previously inconceivable grooves to Bragg’s musical spectrum. This is a man who began performing solely with just his electric guitar back in the early ‘80s. Two decades on, he’s still finding new ways to entertain himself and his audience.