Wikipedia

Home of the Brave (Black 47 album)

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]

Home of the Brave
Studio album by
Black 47
Released1994
GenreCeltic rock
Length71:03
LabelSBK
Producer
Black 47 chronology
Fire of Freedom
(1993) 		Home of the Brave
(1994) 		Green Suede Shoes
(1996)

Production

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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

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Alternative Rock5/10[17]
Chicago Tribune    [18]
Robert ChristgauB−[19]
Deseret News    [16]
The Indianapolis Star    [13]
Knoxville News Sentinel     [12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide     [4]
The San Diego Union-Tribune    [11]
Tampa Bay Times     [14]

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

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Home of the Brave track listing
No.TitleLength
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

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  1. ^ Sprague, David (October 16, 1994). "Rocking of the Green". Fanfare. Newsday. p. 23.
  2. ^ Marsh, Dave (January 1995). "Home of the Brave by Black 47". Playboy. Vol. 42, no. 1. p. 25.
  3. ^ Bream, Jon (November 18, 1994). "Black 47". Star Tribune. p. 15E.
  4. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 67.
  5. ^ a b Fried, Fran (October 25, 1994). "Back by popular demand – Black 47 at Toad's". New Haven Register. p. B10.
  6. ^ a b Renzhofer, Martin (November 24, 1994). "Black 47 Pounds Home Music and Message". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. J2.
  7. ^ Tianen, Dave (February 24, 1995). "Pugnacious Black 47 straddles Irish, American cultures". The Milwaukee Journal. p. E13.
  8. ^ Moorhouse, Donnie (October 27, 1994). "Black 47 rocks with Irish flair". The Republican. Springfield. p. WK7.
  9. ^ Smith, Andy (February 3, 1995). "In Concert". The Providence Journal. p. D8.
  10. ^ a b Cristiano, Nick (November 4, 1994). "Black 47". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15.
  11. ^ a b Toombs, Mikel (November 24, 1994). "Album Reviews". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 16.
  12. ^ a b c Campbell, Chuck (December 2, 1994). "'Home of the Brave', Black 47". Detours. Knoxville News Sentinel. p. 3.
  13. ^ a b Konz, Joe (December 9, 1994). "Black 47 'Home of the Brave'". The Indianapolis Star. p. E7.
  14. ^ a b Proplesch, Richard (January 6, 1995). "Audio Files". Weekend. Tampa Bay Times. p. 11.
  15. ^ Scott, Jane (November 11, 1994). "Black 47's More Than Irish". Friday. The Plain Dealer. p. 38.
  16. ^ a b Iwasaki, Scott (November 24, 1994). "'Home of the Brave' Is Inconsistent but Shows Style". Deseret News. p. F2.
  17. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Miller Freeman Books. p. 206.
  18. ^ a b Webber, Brad (November 17, 1994). "Black 47 Home of the Brave". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  19. ^ a b "Black 47". Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  20. ^ Saunders, Michael (October 20, 1994). "Black 47 Home of the Brave". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 19.
  21. ^ Jenkins, Mark (November 11, 1994). "Black 47's Irish Rage Lost in Gimmickry". The Washington Post. p. N20.
  22. ^ Robbins, Ira. "Black 47". Trouser Press. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  23. ^ Seigal, Buddy (December 29, 1994). "1994: The Year in Review". Los Angeles Times. p. F3.
  24. ^ Gundersen, Edna (January 3, 1995). "Among the best, seldom-heard music of 1994". USA Today. p. 6D.
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