Search - Billy Bragg :: Must I Paint You a Picture?

Passion, brains, integrity, humor...

David Sheridan | Fanwood, New Jersey USA | 01/24/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Billy Bragg has spent most of his career flying kind of low on the radar screen, but he rarely disappoints. This set (2 20-song disks plus a 10-song extra disk of mostly covers) is a good career highlight collection that should please his fans.Bragg has always been a champion of liberal and working class causes and makes no apologies for his point of view, but he's one of those rare artists who can be political without resorting to tiresome, humorless dogma. Early material was a bit more topical, but over time he's covered more universal themes. His best songs address the politics of relationships, blending the tragic ("Levi Stubbs' Tears") with the light-hearted ("Greetings to the New Brunette"). Many of the most celebrated songwriters of our time have never approached the simple beauty of his "Between the Wars."Musically and spiritually a cross between the Clash and Woody Guthrie, he has recorded with folks such as Wilco, Johnny Marr and the late Kirsty MacColl (who covered his "A New England," the opening track here), but his roots are as a solo busker, and much of his best material is just his guitar and his thick Cockney accent. The first two disks are essentially a greatest hits/non-hits run-through, and the third disk is mostly covers. His up-tempo take on John Cale's "Fear Is a Man's Best Friend" and a carbon-copy version of Love's "Seven and Seven Is" (even sung with an American accent) both stand out.Bragg's fans won't be disappointed, nor will those who'd like a large scale introduction to his work."