Bragg's contentious mix of pop and politics has endured for a quarter of a century now but this is his first release proper in 5 years. It follows 2006's Hope Not Hate Campaign which was aimed at raising the awareness of a notoriously apathetic UK electorate to the genuine threat of the British National Party in the impending local elections. When the BNP won a number of seats on Bragg's local council in Barking, Essex the same year it seemed that his campaign had fallen upon deaf ears somewhat. Ever the stalwart though, Bragg tirelessly soldiers on - this time aided by the astute backing of The Blokes. His usual one man band approach shelved in favour of what is a more polished, if inconsistent affair.

Bragg has always been more interesting when he is singing about love and loss, as opposed to peddling his political ideals. This is not to say that his ideologies are without worth – far from it- but they tend to often come across clichéd and trite when consigned to the rigid structural constraints of song lyrics. On Mr Love and Justice the old qualities still shine through, and it would be fair to say this is Bragg’s most complete solo work in years. Promise indeed, then but it’s not great by any means.

The immediacy of opener I Keep Faith provides a welcome opening. It’s whimsical, soulful tones soon make perfect sense of the tailored production Bragg has opted for. What is also strikingly apparent is that Bragg’s voice has barely altered at all throughout his career. Here is it supplemented perfectly by Robert Wyatt’s starry eyed whisperings on a track that has a certain addictive quality.

The Blokes do a great job in keeping things uncomplicated whilst maintaing enough of a presence so as not to become an afterthought . The Morrissey-esque I Almost Killed You which is driven by harmonica, handclaps, layered acoustics and muted woodwind- with the odd burst of anthemic guitar- typifies their approach. Elsewhere the bluster of Something Happened demonstrates an essential versatility. The solo Billy comes to the fore on the genuine If You Ever Leave and there is a nice little ditty in You Make Me Brave.

There are a couple of clunkers and the aforementioned trite political driven numbers are present again in the form of troop withdrawal from Iraq (Sing Their Souls Back Home) and an ‘extraordinary rendition’ (O’ Freedom). But there is a lot here to hold the interest, and so on this evidence, it’s good to have Mr Love and Justice himself back.