Search - Various Artists :: Essential Irish Drinking Sings & Sing Alongs

Something For Everyone -- Great Party CD!

Warren Kelly | Southern Ohio | 04/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I enjoy seasonal music. I love the fact that Music Choice on my cable system has a 'Seasonal Music' channel, because I think that music written for a specific time of year can help people to enjoy the holiday more.



Of course, when you're thinking about enjoying St. Patrick's Day more, people usually think about drinking a lot of green beer. And if you're one of those people, this is the CD compilation for you.



This CD has a lot more contemporary artists than the last Irish CD I reviewed: The Dropkick Murphys and The Pogues stand out in particular. The Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners are also welcome additions to the CD.



There are still the old standbys - Frank Patterson sings the requisite "Danny Boy," The Dubliners contribute the title track "Whiskey In The Jar," and The Clancy Brothers offer up their rendition of the classic "Irish Rover." The Dropkick Murphys' take on "Wild Rover" was a high point for me, as was their "Fields of Athenry" - but then again, I'm a Dropkick Murphys fan anyway.



The songs on this compilation are fun, and singable (even if you can't sing - hey, who cares when you're drunk, right?). In two CDs, the only real disappointments were the two songs from The Pogues, whose live versions of "Dirty Old Town" and "Sally MacLennane" sound as if they were performed while the vocalist was plastered. That fits the theme of the compilation, but makes it tough to listen to. Listen to those two tracks later on in the evening and you'll be fine.



Of the two St. Patrick's Day offerings I was able to review this year, I'd say this one is my favorite. The music is more modern, and the performances more diverse. Plus you get two CDs, so you can listen longer. Enjoy, and Erin Go Bragh!"

Nice but disparate (eclectic?) collection

Scott Ericson | Gibsonia, PA United States | 03/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The actual title is: "Whiskey In The Jar: Essential Irish Drinking Songs & Sing Alongs."



Amazon has the title reversed (with "Essential Irish Drinking..." first), so a search for "Whiskey In The Jar" won't find it! (ok, maybe it is better to have "Essential Irish Drinking" first).



Also note that a number of songs are "Live" recordings (that's not noted at this time in the Amazon song listing): Disc 1: Tracks 9, 10 & 11; on Disc 2: tracks 10, 14, 16 & 17 (the two Pogues songs on the disc are Live).



All good songs and first rate artists here, but quite a disparate range from very traditional to celtic rock. We used this CD as the basis for a great St. Patrick's day songs playlist for Cool Celtic (Music Sojourn) with similarly eclectic additions. The Pogues, the Young Dubliners, and The Drop Kick Murphys make up most of the more mod sounds on here - too bad that the Pogues version of "Whiskey In The Jar" didn't make it on this CD (it would have provided the same kind of contrast with the Dubliners' version as the rest of the cd does with the mix of artists & songs). At least it progresses through the tunes on each disc from more traditional to more punk - if you're drinking along with the tunes as they play, that ought to work out just about right by the end. This collection may be too eclectic for some. Those looking for the Traditional songs get more for their money here and can ignore the few rockers at the end of each disc. Those into the Pogues and Drop Kick Murphys more rockus sounds may not find enough of that to keep it playing except for around St. Patrick's day each year. However, for that purpose, it does satisfy!"