Small Reviews submitted to Mostly Folk
Tom Lenahan
Lenahan
Clandestine CR216 (1995)
[PO Box MI354/Hoboken, NJ, 07030]
If you like the raucus music of The Pogues, Black 47, and Wolfstone, you might be interested in this bit of New Jersey Celtic rock. The best tracks are based in Ireland, and include an upbeat (to put it mildly) version of "Rocky Road To Dublin" as well as two Lenahan originals, "Quick Chek Reel/Dirty Lane" and "Coat and Tie," the latter featuring some quite vibrant and somewhat-south-of-Irish accordionship. As a reprieve from the Irish pubs, Highland drum and warpipe nicely guide the Scottish-based rock instrumental, "Firebrand."
A few mundane blues-rock tunes are regrettably integrated into the song roster, as if Lenahan had run out of suitable Celtic tunes. At times, electric guitars and drums seem to overwhelm the vocals, probably a sin of faulty mixing, and the New Jersey Irish accent can seem a bit much. Still, this is a promising debut recording, and quite a bit of fun...especially if turned up LOUD.
The Voice Squad
Many's the Foolish Youth
(Tara 1987, remixed for CD 1995)
This newly released CD from the Irish a capella trio The Voice Squad was originally released as a Faetain LP under the authorship "Gerry Cullen, Fran McPhail, and Phil Callery" and is actually a predecessor to their 1993 Shanachie CD "Good People All," itself a reshuffled version of "Hollywood" released on the Irish Hummingbird label, which in turn contains a couple of songs from their LP. Right. In any event, "Foolish Youth" is a lovely recording. Featured are essentially perfect, totally unaccompanied versions of Anglo-Irish traditional songs, several nabbed from their English analogs, The Copper Family. The three warm but stark male voices weave through my favorite, the oft-recorded story of "Willie Taylor;" Willie's girlfriend shoots him for marrying another woman and she is rewarded by being made "...a ships commander of a vessel for the Isle of Man." A romance, "The Banks of the Bann" sounds as if it originated in Heaven instead of Ulster. Two songs are appropriate for Christmas.
Martin Simpson
Smoke & Mirrors
Thunderbird TBE50001-2 (1995)
English folk-Celtic guitarist Martin Simpson completed this lovely album as he says "Thirty years after I first started playing the blues." His mid-range voice may not exactly derive from the cottonfields, but in apology could well be straight out of Austin. Most exceptional, as always, is his guitar artistry....never quite authentic American blues, but flavored with his own Anglo/Celtic background. Most of the blues songs in the album are quasi-Simpson originals, such as Delia ("Delia was a gamblin' girl, she laid her money down...") and "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean," but Smoke & Mirrors also features exceptional versions of John B. Spencer's "Will This House Be Blessed?" and Bob Franke's "Hard Love." The pristine arrangements are paradoxically lush, and feature among others Hank Roberts on amazing blues cello.
Renegade
Stand & Deliver
Self Published RCD102 (1994)
Speaking of the guys (and gals) next door, Renegade is a very spirited "regional" traditional Irish band from the Philadelphia area. Performers include Jon Foulk and Jeff Morgan on frets and vocals, Nancy Brown on fiddle, Ric Lake on bass, and Drew Brady on melodeon. It's clear that they have a great time performing together. Like numerous other jammers and pub bands who have a great time together, they've put together a couple of CDs ("A Lark In the Morning" was published in 1993). "Stand & Deliver" contains mostly traditional songs ("Whiskey In The Jar," "Black Velvet Band") and tunes ("Stack of Barley/Boys of Blue Hill"), but a few tracks are original.
The band is not really quite ready for prime time but there are some highlights. There's a great risque piece about a moose ("The Moose") that I had never heard before, coupled with "Itches In Me Britches." And "Nancy's Apple Pie" contains some pretty risky fiddling by Brown. In general, though, The Consumer would do well to go out to a favorite bar, buy a couple beers, enjoy the no-cover band (or maybe an Irish session)...and then go home and listen to one of the numerous top-flight recordings that has come out of Ireland recently.
The Columbia Gypsy