''Home of the Brave'' is an album by the American band Black 47, released in 1994. The band supported the album with a North American tour and an appearance on ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

''. The first single was "Losin' It".

Production

The album was produced by frontman

Larry Kirwan Larry Kirwan (born 1948 in Wexford) is an Irish-American writer and musician, most noted as the lead singer for the rock band Black 47 and conceiver/co-writer of Paradise Square, the Broadway Musical for which he received a Tony Award nominat ...

and

Jerry Harrison Jeremiah Griffin Harrison (born February 21, 1949) is an American musician, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur. He began his professional music career as a member of the band the Modern Lovers, before becoming keyboardist and guitarist for ...

. Harrison was on a list of names provided by Black 47's record label; the band appreciated his relaxed production style. Kirwan wrote 15 of the album's 16 songs, taking the same character-driven approach that he employed in his play writing. He considered many of his songs to be autobiographical or political. "Who Killed Bobby Fuller?" concerns a man trying to solve

Bobby Fuller Robert Gaston Fuller (October 22, 1942 – July 18, 1966)Bashe, P. R., & George-Warren, H., ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'' (Third ed.). New York, Fireside, 2005, p. 360 was an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist ...

's murder, in order to impress a woman. "The Big Fellah" is about the Irish revolutionary

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

. "Oh Maureen" describes Kirwan's love for a woman who is married. 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. "Black Rose" details an infatuation for the companion of a friend who is in prison. "Danny Boy" is about a gay Irish immigrant who lands a construction job in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. An unlisted 17th track closes the album.

Critical reception

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' 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". ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' called the album "another glorious blast of Celtic-flavored rock and roll, with dollops of rap and reggae." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' 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."

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

panned Kirwan's vocals, labeling them "soul-as-melodrama rockism with a brogue." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' dismissed the album as a "wan imitation of the R&B phase of Dexy's Midnight Runners". The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' concluded that "Kirwan's running commentaries on the Irish immigrant's adjustment to American life fare well from his playwright's sense of dialogue." The ''

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', also known as ''Knox News'', is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: '' ...

'' said that ''Home of the Brave'' "goes on entirely too long ... retracing its steps and sounding the same notes." Buddy Seigal, of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', listed ''Home of the Brave'' as the second best album of 1994. ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' considered it one of 1994's "overlooked gems".

Track listing

References

{{reflist Black 47 albums 1994 albums SBK Records albums Albums produced by Jerry Harrison