Tooth And Nail, is the latest album from folk icon Billy Bragg and proves to be one of his strongest releases.

Recorded in five days with a soulful American backing band consisting of players who have performed with the likes of Bon Iver, Lana Del Rey and Regina Spektor, Bragg’s latest album could be seen as a change of pace from much of his past work – a more subtle affair, littered with pedal steel and personal reflection.

Highlights include the comparativel upbeat number ‘No One Knows Nothing Anymore’, with Bragg backed by full-band, questioning the extent to which science has resulted in a ‘better’ society.

‘Handyman’ is a weary tongue-in-cheek letter to his wife asking her to accept his lack of hands-on skills at home, and deserves repeated listening.

Also included is a nice cover of Woody Guthrie’s ‘I Ain’t Got No Home’, which of course serves as a reflection of Bragg’s socialist political beliefs,“…this world is such a strange and funny place to be, where the gambling man is rich and the working man is poor”.

Tooth And Nail is an enjoyable album, but simply loses pace half-way through, featuring too many forgettable soft-folk tracks (although briefly picking up with the heavier ‘There Will Be a Reckoning’).

Still, there is more to Bragg than his musical talent; the album is rich in political sentiment and poetry that are well worth a listen.

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