| Home of the Brave | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Celtic rock | |||
| Length | 71:03 | |||
| Label | SBK | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Black 47 chronology | ||||
| ||||
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]
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]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Alternative Rock | 5/10 [17] |
| Chicago Tribune |   [18] |
| Robert Christgau | B− [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]
| 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 | |
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