There’s a ton of what passes for “ traditional Irish music” these days. This guy, Sean Tyrell, sings as well as plays tenor guitar, banjo and mandocello on this disc, and he sounds like what you’ll REALLY hear if you go into a small pub in Clifton, Galway or Castlebar. He’s got a rough and ready voice that gets a bit salty at times, and like many spontaneous gatherings in the local pub, the guests rotate in and out. Fergus Feely/mand, Johnny Mullen/g, Colin Boland/key, Jimmy Cubbard/perc and Tony Trundle/fid mix and match throughout the 18 songs that range from traditionals like “The Lark in the Morning” all the way up to John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero,” so you’ve got a song for just about every theme, or grievance, if you’re Irish! Even some Americana pops in on “On Top of Old Smokey” and since we’ve got an Irish tenor behind a mike, tragedy and injustice is never too far away. Grab a Guinness and sit down for awhile!
The Vital Record
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