Sing Loud Sing Proud - Dropkick Murphys

...my CD collection is 2001’s Sing Loud, Sing Proud. This is the 3rd studio album from the Boston band and carried on the progression that is evident from the first couple of albums. Before the release of the album a number of the bands personnel seemed to change and that really seems to have improved the bands overall sound.

The appeal of the Murphy’s has to be the blend of traditional Irish folk music with their own unique brand of ...
...there was a flaw to Sing Loud, Sing Proud, but there is room for improvement, something the band have done in abundance since this album.

Overall it’s a decent album that adds a number of top tracks to the Murphy’s back catalogue. Obviously they wont appeal to everyone and I think that is really a given. The combination of Irish folk and American punk will not be to everyone’s taste, but if you like either punk or folk or like the ... more

Having come across the Dropkick Murphys at Reading festival a couple of years ago I have since proceeded to acquire their back catalogue. The most recent addition from that back catalogue to my CD collection is 2001’s Sing Loud, Sing Proud. This is the 3rd studio album from the Boston band and carried on the progression that is evident from the first couple of albums. Before the release of the album a number of the bands personnel seemed to change and that really seems to have improved the bands overall sound.

The appeal of the Murphy’s has to be the blend of traditional Irish folk music with their own unique brand of American punk. When I first heard about the band I wasn’t sure how this would actually work, the two genres are so far a part that it almost didn’t seem possible to merge them. That however has proven to be untrue and in the same way that House Of Pain brought the Irish influence into the world of Rap music, the Murphys seem to be doing to the punk world.

This album was actually produced by the band and recorded in their hometown of Boston. With Ken Casey taking the lead role in the production stakes he seems to have got the bands sound to be exactly what they are looking for. As well as including a number of original tracks on this album they have also include covers of traditional tracks “Rocky Road To Dublin” and “Wild Rover” and a rendition of the Boston College anthem “For Boston”. There are also guest appearances on vocals from Cock Sparrer’s Colin McFaull and The Pogues Shane McGowan, which gave the band a chance to work with one of their main influences.

While the musical element of the album isn’t exactly crisp I think it actually adds to the appeal of the bands music. It isn’t over produced and that adds grit to the sound of the band. The guitars are very quick and set an unbelievably fast pace that really suits the sound. The Irish influence is added both in the melody of the tracks and occasionally by Spicy McHaggis on the bag pipes. The Drums provide a decent backing along with the bass but it’s the guitars that really drive the sound and make the music so appealing.

The vocals really are quite catchy and it’s very hard once you’ve heard the album to not be joining in and signing along with each of the tracks. In particular the bands version of “Wild Rover” is superb and Al Barr’s vocals sound really good taking the lead on such a classic Irish Folk song. In places the vocals do seem a little stretched on a couple of tracks but that is largely down to the extraordinary pace that the guitars set on this album. The mixture of the Murphy’s own material, mixed with the few covers, makes for an album that really is a joy to listen to.

Over the course of the album there are a number of tracks that I took to almost instantly. Obviously the two traditional tracks “Wild Rover” and “Rocky Road To Dublin” as I’d heard the originals of both many times while I was growing up. Other than those though, the track that stood out for me in particular was “Good Rats”. It includes guest vocals by The Pogues Shane McGowan and that coupled with the pace of the track really makes it a highlight of the album. It’s got a decent tempo, catchy lyrics and in places the vocals of Al Barr complimented by the unmistakable tones of McGowan.

The whole album is actually quite good and offers the listener a new spin on the punk genre. There are some out and out punk songs like “The Fortunes Of War” that don’t have the Irish touch to them. The combination and mix of Irish to punk works well though and there isn’t too much of one or the other, the blend seems to be about right. For that reason I didn’t really feel there was a flaw to Sing Loud, Sing Proud, but there is room for improvement, something the band have done in abundance since this album.

Overall it’s a decent album that adds a number of top tracks to the Murphy’s back catalogue. Obviously they wont appeal to everyone and I think that is really a given. The combination of Irish folk and American punk will not be to everyone’s taste, but if you like either punk or folk or like the sound of a hybrid of the two then I seriously recommend giving the Murphy’s a try. It’s a sound that you probably can’t imagine before hand and really has to be experienced, but most people I know who have experienced it now love them, so go on, give it a go.

Amazon: £7.98
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Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dropkickmurphys 

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