The fifth album by this Orange County-based Irish quintet has competent, spirited, and varied mixtures of Celtic folk and rock music, though it's not too exciting or innovative. Standard rock guitar, bass, and drums are usually part of the foundation, but mandolin, Uilleann pipes, sax, flute, and whistles are also often prominent in the mix. Those do much to give the sound an Irish flavor, though some of the tracks veer toward a more standard rock approach, sometimes even with hints of reggae rhythm. While they offer some original songs, over half the disc is devoted to outside material, including traditional numbers and covers of compositions by folk and folk-rock singer/songwriters (including
Ewan MacColl's "Go, Move, Shift" and
Ralph McTell's "From Clare to Here"). A Celtified cover of Tom Campbell and Linda Albertano's "Two Ten Train," done way back in the 1960s by
Linda Ronstadt and
the Stone Poneys, testifies to their good taste, though it doesn't at all measure up to the better interpretations of this fine song. The record's handicapped, however, by the absence of strong lead vocals. Note that although only 12 tracks are listed on the cover, there's an unlisted, untitled (and inconsequential) bonus instrumental that plays at the disc's end. ~ Richie Unterberger