Hope and Fury

Hope and Fury was recorded at the Fuzz Factory Studio in Berlin and Reservoir Studios in New York City.^[8] Jackson recorded demo tracks in Brooklyn prior to the main recording sessions. As he felt he could not improve his lead vocals on some of these demos, Jackson retained the vocal tracks for approximately half of the proper recordings.^[9]

"Welcome to Burning-By-Sea" was inspired by Jackson's observations on modern day England. He started writing the song about Brighton but ended up drawing more inspiration from his hometown of Portsmouth and the contrast between the two cities. He presented the song as being about a fictional seaside town but called it a "microcosm of the whole country".^[6] "Fabulous People" was written about an individual who "can't stand the fact that he's a really boring, normal, ordinary white heterosexual guy".^[5] Jackson, who called it a "humourous song", was inspired by his 1982 hit song "Steppin' Out" for aspects of the arrangement.^[6] "After All This Time" was written about "overcoming the cliché of [a] relationship that breaks up because it gets too difficult". Jackson used a "catalog of clichés" for the verses and then provided a twist in the chorus by having the narrator suggest that they and their partner stay together rather than break up.^[6] Jackson examines English society 100 years apart in "End of the Pier", which he has called the album's "saddest" track. The first half of the song is based on a working-class family in 1922 and the second half looks at an equivalent family a century later in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Mojo	[11]
PopMatters	5/10[12]
The Times	[13]
Uncut	8/10[14]

Upon its release, Will Hodgkinson of The Times summarised, "Jackson's blend of bon mot-laden social observation and heavily percussive pop-funk can grate, but when he fuses a sympathy for the underdog with real originality and invention, he really does mark himself out as a singular and enduring talent."^[13] Michael Gallucci, writing for Ultimate Classic Rock, said that, although the album "doesn't fully disregard Jackson's restless musical pursuits", it is "nice to see him on familiar ground from time to time", with songs such as "I'm Not Sorry" and "Fabulous People" being his "most fuss-free in years".^[15]

Terry Staunton of Uncut called it a "partial return stylistically to the jazzy pop sophistication" of Night and Day and Body and Soul, but with "more aggressive percussion". He also noted Jackson's "trademark wit".^[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, writing for Mojo, said Jackson presents himself as a "songwriter who still can be prickly but prefers to be playful". He added that the "deft rhythms help underscore the album's lineage to the cosmopolitan Night and Day", which Jackson "further emphasises with melodic winks to his past".^[11]

Jeremy McDonagh of PopMatters said that the album's style "harkens back to the pub rock of I'm the Man, mixing in the salsa flourishes of Night and Day. He considered all of Jackson's "finger-wagging and score-settling" in the lyrics to "sound like a swansong" which, "as a possible final word", "leaves a distinctly bitter aftertaste on an otherwise remarkable career".^[12] Mark Deming of AllMusic noted that Hope and Fury "confirms Jackson is still a considerable talent", but felt that the album's "musical excellence" was somewhat eclipsed by the ovrall theme of the lyrics. He described them as "concern[ing] themselves with various things that clearly annoy him", with Jackson coming across as a "British version of Statler and Waldorf".^[10]