Whether you agree with Billy's politics or not, you can't help but be impressed with the emotion of "My Youngest Some Came Home Today" or the sharp lyrics of "Marching Song of the Covert Battalions." It seems that musicians just don't record this sort of gutsy material anymore. Nowadays, "taking a chance" means offending as many people as possible with obscenities or lewd behavior, but there was a time when musicians believed that taking a chance had to do with performing intellectually bold content that had real social value. Billy Bragg is one of those people. Steve Earle is another. It's a shame there aren't more like them anymore. If you want a stellar example of a talented musician performing gutsy, meaty songs, then listen to this cd.