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| TURN YOUR HEAD AND COUGH - THE MCBRIDES |
| Always willing to add his bang-on drumming to any band that extends the invitation (when he�s not busy with Goddo or Tripminer), Doug Inglis formed this offshoot of the hugely successful Blushing Brides at least a decade ago, bringing one of the Blushing Brides� guitarists, Des Leahy, along with him. Topping up the potent brew is Irish lead singer/songwriter/guitarist James Taylor, bass guitarist Mark Yanetta and fiddler Jason Lynn. Extra vocal harmony is provided by Dave Greenham and Craig Martin (also on harmonica), producer of Classic Albums Live and Modern Classics Live and erstwhile Mick Jagger emulator. Apart from the introductory mournful violin on the otherwise manic �Polka�s [sic] From Hell� and the beautiful acoustic folk ballad, �Only Our Rivers� (a tribute to Ireland), this CD rocks up a Celtic storm! The CD begins with the traditional �Star of the Country Down� and �King of the World�, followed by Taylor�s �Just Like Bono�, a New Wave-kind of song paying homage to their Irish roots and traditions, musically typified by such great Irish bands as The Pogues, The Waterboys, Christy Moore, Steeleye Span (an offshoot of Fairport Convention), and, of course, U2�s Bono. This gem is followed by another, that is, Greg Godovitz�s �Tough Times�, a classic Goddo anthem, reworked with a Celtic flavouring, care of fiddler Jason Lynn and group vocals that will send the proverbial shivers down your spine. The Clash is then given a suitable nod, with Joe Strummer and Mick Jones� �Train in Vain� (a.k.a. �Stand by Me or Not at All�), a la �harmonica hoedown�. �Last Call in Dublin� is given a jazz-rock feel, along the lines of Steely Dan. Des Leahy provides head-spinning lead guitar breaks on this track. �Only Our Rivers� would have been better placed at the end of the CD, so as not to break up the party mode already established, but it�s still a compelling composition about the value of freedom. The almost-five-minute original showcase track, �Stew�, is a mind-blowing instrumental that will have you recalling Newfoundland�s Figgy Duff and their fiddler, Jamie Snider. This track truly captures the �Heart of a Gypsy�, and Mark Yanetta proves his mettle as a stellar bassist on this track, in particular. It segues in perfectly to �Follow Me Up to Carlaw�, another �reelin�� track that really brings out the Irish in them. Well done, lads! |
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