Ever since Billy Bragg emerged as a young firebrand with a single electric guitar 25 years ago, the personal and political have been as deeply entwined in his work as punk's sharpness and folk's homespun idealism. Bragg's first album in six years, Mr. Love & Justice, manages to squeeze both the romantic and the left-wing advocate into its title. The songs mostly follow suit, showcasing this former Wilco collaborator's usual heart-on-his-sleeve lyricism, but sometimes he sounds more like a tired roots-rocker than a post-punk Woody Guthrie. Bragg is at his subtle best on opener "I Keep Faith," with honeyed backing vocals from fellow British icon Robert Wyatt. Still, Bragg's prescriptions here feel a little more pat and preachy than on previous releases. On "Something Happened," Bragg ponders about and defines the big L, while "The Johnny Carcinogenic Show" is exactly what its labored title suggests. The Blokes, who also backed Bragg on 2002's England, Half English, are skilled and all, but their organ-drenched arrangements lack the progressiveness of Bragg's politics and occasionally sound like 1960s retreads. It's worth seeking out the album's deluxe edition, which includes a bonus disc of Bragg playing all the songs live in studio on a single electric guitar -- the way he's always sounded best.

-- Marc Hogan