A Lover Sings
Billy Bragg
Faber and Faber
The Bard of Braking
Essex, Billy Bragg has been spent the last three carving a niche for
himself as a voice for the common man. A staunch democratic socialist, Bragg’s keen ability to create music
that is both political and tender has allowed him to
remain consistently relevant.
Known for his wit, wisdom and and eloquent conversation, Bragg has cut a wide swathe lyrically,writing songs about girls, England, gender roles and broken hearts. he also has resurrected the unrecorded songs of Woody Guthrie with Wilco, met the Queen and given hope to generations of miners, marchers and misanthropes.
“A Lover Sings” collects a selection of Bragg’s lyrics and rests them gently under one roof, giving them a uniquely fresh context. Being read as prose gives his work (“Levi Stubbs Tears,” “You Woke Up My Neighborhood, “A New England” or more overlooked gems like “NPWA,”“Warmest Room” and “Tank Park Salute”) a fresh timbre.
Although it is not a complete anthology of his songs “A Lover Speaks” masterfully reminds us of just how special and charming Bragg is as a performer, giving us a complete picture of Bragg as a lyricist who unabashedly speaks his mind in the name of fairness, justice and love.
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