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Alive
and Drinkin' in Ireland
MP3 Review
Just
holding this album in the hand kicks off an air of excitement
and expectation. The black humor in the title, and also
the cover - a graveyard tombstone inserted in a pint
of black - projects a promise of boisterous good humor
and great Irish entertainment. From the first bars right
to the very end of this 19 track album, that promise is
fulfilled over and over again.
Alive
and Drinkin' in Ireland drives traditional Irish
music into an energy zone it has hitherto not explored.
Cruiskeen are one of the
most experienced and well travelled traditional Irish
bands. Everything about their music is 'Live' and
the atmosphere they generate is infectious. This album
is a remarkable success at capturing that atmosphere and
nothing is lost in the transfer to the small speakers
of the home stereo.
It kick starts
with an energy sapping Pinch of Snuff and
by the time it has cooled to a spacially haunting rendition
of The Lonesome Boatman on Roddy Monks
terrestial tin whistle, it has already weaved its way
through The Old Triangle and Monto
- accapella style - and Whiskey in the Jar
with vibrant revisions.
Quite unlike
any other album that has gone before, it might reasonably
be described as Moving Hearts in a Formula 1 car driven
by a mischievous monkey on speed.
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Rock
'N' Reel
Cruiskeen is one of the biggest bands on the Dublin folk
and ballad circuit. After hearing "Alive and Drinkin'
in Ireland", it's easy to see why. Their music is fuelled
with infectious spirit and rampant energy. "A Pinch of
Snuff" and "Riley's Ragtime" kicks with a ferocity that
has to be heard to be believed. "The Old Triangle" and
"Dirty Old Town" are given vibrant revisions. Cruiskeen
have hit the rockin' and reelin' trail with "Alive and
Drinkin' in Ireland" and it's a trailblazing success.
John O'Regan
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