Dublin O’Shea CD October 13, 2009 at 9:21 am
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IRISH AMERICAN POST
SUMMER 2010 / VOL. 10 ISSUE 2
Reviews:
The Best in Summer’s Irish Music
By Brian Witt
Have Another Drink Boys
Dublin O’Shea
Self-Produced
16 tracks, Running time: 46 minutes
http://www.dublinoshea.com
The Milwaukee band, Dublin O’Shea, has released its first album. It is an eclectic mix of ballads, drinking songs, and old favorites, and one that gives a good stage to the quartet.
The drinking songs, such as “Hills of Whiskey”, and “And I Drink,” a band composition, burnish the band’s reputation for fun. “Finnegan’s Wake” is also a rollicking piece. “Johnny Jump Up,” is reminiscent of the playing of The Waterboys. Keith Kucharski’s voice is both strong and confident on it.
There are songs of the sea, such as Stan Rogers’ “White Squall” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” both well presented. “South Australia” is given a muscular workout, especially by Aaron Craft’s tuneful bodhran. David Grey’s “Debauchery” is a fitting addition to the album. It is a plaintively played and sung work, especially Lisa Jones fiddling pulling out the emotional values in it.
John Tillison’s backing on mandolin and guitar colors in the spaces on all the songs. This band has amazing harmonies on “Mac and Sailor” and “Edmund Fitzgerald”
The strength of the group is tthat its members are all accomplished musicians, and have played together for a very long time. That said, they hit a bit of predictability in their openings, with fiddle and guitar on the same notes too many times. It would have an exceptional work if they had cleaned up production. As it is, it is a good work.
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