Rating: NNNN
The gut-wrenching urgency of Bragg’s nervous-twitch vocal delivery here is as affecting as it was on 03’s superlative The Reckless Kind, and it’s this Tom Waits-Elvis Costello style that holds together his latest offering. The trumpet and trombone have been replaced by eerie organ fills and flugelhorn flourishes, and Bear Music is certainly more of a straight-up rock record. Smaller in scope, maybe, but just as involving, with a nice blend of stuttering two-step stomps and strong ballads that showcase Bragg’s innate ability to turn a witty phrase into a great story.
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