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Oct 05, 2016 Issue #58 - The Protest Issue By Matthew Berlyant

It’s fitting and almost inevitable that English singer/songwriter Billy Bragg and American singer/songwriter and noted producer Joe Henry should do a record together. And it’s also fitting that given the interest both of them have long had in American folk traditions, they should record an album of covers of songs made famous by Lead Belly (“Midnight Special” and “In the Pines”), Jimmie Rodgers (“Waiting for a Train”), Hank Williams (“Lonesome Whistle”), and others. In fact, the most modern song on here is the 1967 Glen Campbell tune “Gentle on My Mind.” What most of these songs have in common is that they are railroad songs. Instead of going into a studio, Bragg and Henry decided to record all of these live at various train stations; there’s even an interactive map of their journey available to view online.

Bragg and Henry trading off lead vocals and beautifully harmonizing with Bragg (whose very British-sounding vocals used to make Jam-era Paul Weller sound American) continuing to affect the American accent he started using on his excellent 2013 album Tooth and Nail. Acoustic guitar and the occasional harmonica are the only instruments used and in this case, less is definitely more. (www.billybragg.co.uk)

Author rating: 8/10