Badly Drawn Boy - Born in the UK

The woolly-hatted one is back. For his latest album, the Boy, born Damon Gough, pays tribute to growing up in England, with a nod to his hero Bruce Springsteen. While there’s nothing as spirited as the Boss’ “Thunder Road” or “No Surrender,” Gough has a way with modest pop songs about life’s futility, such as the piano-laced “Without a Kiss” and the acoustic blues “Time of Times.” The rocking title track sums up all things English, including royalty, The Sex Pistols and the country’s “sense of loathing and belonging.”