Home of the Brave (Black 47 album)
| Home of the Brave | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Celtic rock | |||
| Length | 71:03 | |||
| Label | SBK | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Black 47 chronology | ||||
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Home of the Brave is an album by the American band Black 47, released in 1994.[1][2] The band supported the album with a North American tour and an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[3][4] The first single was "Losin' It".[5]
Production
[edit]The album was produced by frontman Larry Kirwan and Jerry Harrison.[6] Harrison was on a list of names provided by Black 47's record label; the band appreciated his relaxed production style.[7] Kirwan wrote 15 of the album's 16 songs, taking the same character-driven approach that he employed in his play writing.[6][8] He considered many of his songs to be autobiographical or political.[9] "Who Killed Bobby Fuller?" concerns a man trying to solve Bobby Fuller's murder, in order to impress a woman.[10] "The Big Fellah" is about the Irish revolutionary Michael Collins.[11] "Oh Maureen" describes Kirwan's love for a woman who is married.[12] Winds musician Chris Byrne rapped on "Time to Go", about political conflict in Ireland, and a response to criticism the band had received from British periodicals.[13][14] "Black Rose" details an infatuation for the companion of a friend who is in prison.[5] "Danny Boy" is about a gay Irish immigrant who lands a construction job in Queens.[15] An unlisted 17th track closes the album.[16]
Critical reception
[edit]
The Boston Globe stated that "songs spiced with tin whistles and pipes abut cuts with driving drums and raging guitars... It's a sound that ranges from jubilant to mournful".[20] The Philadelphia Inquirer called the album "another glorious blast of Celtic-flavored rock and roll, with dollops of rap and reggae."[10] The Washington Post opined that "Black's sound is so gimmicky: Celtic-rock given an arena-metal swagger and embroidered with Latin, reggae and hip-hop elements designed to reflect the group's Lower East Side residence."[21] Robert Christgau panned Kirwan's vocals, labeling them "soul-as-melodrama rockism with a brogue."[19]
Trouser Press dismissed the album as a "wan imitation of the R&B phase of Dexy's Midnight Runners".[22] The Chicago Tribune concluded that "Kirwan's running commentaries on the Irish immigrant's adjustment to American life fare well from his playwright's sense of dialogue."[18] The Knoxville News Sentinel said that Home of the Brave "goes on entirely too long ... retracing its steps and sounding the same notes."[12] Buddy Seigal, of the Los Angeles Times, listed Home of the Brave as the second best album of 1994.[23] USA Today considered it one of 1994's "overlooked gems".[24]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Big Fellah" | 5:57 |
| 2. | "Oh Maureen" | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Losin' It" | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Paul Robeson (Born to Be Free)" | 5:17 |
| 5. | "Road to Ruin" | 4:37 |
| 6. | "Black Rose" | 5:04 |
| 7. | "Blood Wedding" | 6:08 |
| 8. | "Carlita's Revenge" | 0:48 |
| 9. | "Who Killed Bobby Fuller?" | 3:29 |
| 10. | "Different Drummer" | 3:35 |
| 11. | "Danny Boy" | 5:20 |
| 12. | "Voodoo City" | 5:43 |
| 13. | "Time to Go" | 4:28 |
| 14. | "Go Home Paddy" | 0:33 |
| 15. | "Too Late to Turn Back" | 4:56 |
| 16. | "American Wake" | 5:24 |
| 17. | "Cashula" | 1:20 |
| Total length: | 71:03 | |
References
[edit]- ^ Sprague, David (October 16, 1994). "Rocking of the Green". Fanfare. Newsday. p. 23.
- ^ Marsh, Dave (January 1995). "Home of the Brave by Black 47". Playboy. Vol. 42, no. 1. p. 25.
- ^ Bream, Jon (November 18, 1994). "Black 47". Star Tribune. p. 15E.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 67.
- ^ a b Fried, Fran (October 25, 1994). "Back by popular demand – Black 47 at Toad's". New Haven Register. p. B10.
- ^ a b Renzhofer, Martin (November 24, 1994). "Black 47 Pounds Home Music and Message". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. J2.
- ^ Tianen, Dave (February 24, 1995). "Pugnacious Black 47 straddles Irish, American cultures". The Milwaukee Journal. p. E13.
- ^ Moorhouse, Donnie (October 27, 1994). "Black 47 rocks with Irish flair". The Republican. Springfield. p. WK7.
- ^ Smith, Andy (February 3, 1995). "In Concert". The Providence Journal. p. D8.
- ^ a b Cristiano, Nick (November 4, 1994). "Black 47". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15.
- ^ a b Toombs, Mikel (November 24, 1994). "Album Reviews". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 16.
- ^ a b c Campbell, Chuck (December 2, 1994). "'Home of the Brave', Black 47". Detours. Knoxville News Sentinel. p. 3.
- ^ a b Konz, Joe (December 9, 1994). "Black 47 'Home of the Brave'". The Indianapolis Star. p. E7.
- ^ a b Proplesch, Richard (January 6, 1995). "Audio Files". Weekend. Tampa Bay Times. p. 11.
- ^ Scott, Jane (November 11, 1994). "Black 47's More Than Irish". Friday. The Plain Dealer. p. 38.
- ^ a b Iwasaki, Scott (November 24, 1994). "'Home of the Brave' Is Inconsistent but Shows Style". Deseret News. p. F2.
- ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Miller Freeman Books. p. 206.
- ^ a b Webber, Brad (November 17, 1994). "Black 47 Home of the Brave". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
- ^ a b "Black 47". Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ Saunders, Michael (October 20, 1994). "Black 47 Home of the Brave". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 19.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark (November 11, 1994). "Black 47's Irish Rage Lost in Gimmickry". The Washington Post. p. N20.
- ^ Robbins, Ira. "Black 47". Trouser Press. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ Seigal, Buddy (December 29, 1994). "1994: The Year in Review". Los Angeles Times. p. F3.
- ^ Gundersen, Edna (January 3, 1995). "Among the best, seldom-heard music of 1994". USA Today. p. 6D.