Black 47 rocks the boat on 'Iraq'

'The war is the biggest issue in U.S. history in a long, long time . . . and a lot of our fans are in Iraq doing the fighting, they're not in D.C. doing the sending," Black 47 leader Larry Kirwan is saying over the phone from Santa Cruz, Calif., far from the band's home base of New York.

The Ireland-born singer, guitarist and songwriter is explaining the motivation behind Black 47's blazing new album, Iraq. Though the politically charged group came out against the war even before it began, and its views are clear on the album, Iraq mainly aims to give a grunt's-eye view of the conflict. Over Black 47's typically rousing Celtic-rock and rap, Kirwan puts listeners right in the middle of all the dust and heat and blood, capturing the fears and frustrations as well as the pride and prowess of the troops on the ground. (As a change of pace, "The Ballad of Cindy Sheehan" is a first-person portrait reminiscent of Kirwan's "Bobby Sands MP.")

"It just seemed there was a need for something like this," says Kirwan, a playwright and novelist who is no stranger to blood-and-guts narratives from his many songs about Northern Ireland. "I get e-mails back from them, so even without being over there, you really get a sense of what's going on with their lives."

Kirwan doesn't pretend that the band's political views are shared by the majority of those doing the fighting. On the other hand, he says, soldiers who disagree with the band say the songs still nail the day-to-day situations they face.

"This is not a Republican or a Democratic album," Kirwan says. "It's an American album."

That's fitting for a group that, as Kirwan puts it, has plenty of fans on the right as well as the left, "and they're both very vocal."

"That's why we're not a total peace and love band," he says. "We're just putting the issues out there. You guys make the decision. Get another drink and talk it out. And after the gig, you can buy us one, too."