Search - Young Dubliners :: Real World

Colleen A. (Cedarbend) from WARROAD, MN
Reviewed on 3/30/2009...

This is what you call "high energy" Celtic music! It just about doesn't get any better than these guys. We saw them a few years ago live at the St Paul Irish Fair-the main stage act of the night-and talk about fun! They played afterwards at a local pub and we can only imagine the rowdy scene that must've been...it's just about head-banging Celtic music and far better than Flogging Molly.

Let it wear...

Jenn Goodland | Denver | 02/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll admit that when I first heard many of the songs on "Real World," I was apprehensive. Quite a few were questionable, made more so by the sheer brilliance of the country-influenced "Come Back Home" and the sweet tone of "Please" (how many weddings will that one show up at?). The album is uneven, I'll admit; but it's made uneven precisely because so many of the songs on it are so well-written that they make songs like "Say It's So" and "Happy" seem like poor imitations of the Dubs rather than the real thing.



This was my first impression. Now that I'd had the CD on random play nonstop since getting the last copy at my local store, I'm beginning to see the wisdom of these "lesser" songs. Any band out there - Great Big Sea, Waterboys, even U2 - would be thrilled with this album. If U2 had put this out rather than the two-single potential of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," it would have rivaled "Joshua Tree." It's *that good.* The technical aspects of each song are a marked improvement over some of the more awkward stylistic elements found in "Red" and to some extent "Alive Alive O'." I'm a sucker for bass, and Bren's bass has never been better - check out the bass lead on the (of course) instrumental "Banshee." And there's a rerecord of an old Dubs favorite called "Confusion." This is the first studio cut of the song, which I always considered to be the Achilles heel of "Alive Alive O'" until I heard what they did to it in the studio. I'm not a fan of heavy production - but in this case the rerecord has made it into a very different song, and moved it into some positive areas quality-wise.



There really isn't a poor song on the record, and my initial misgivings have dissipated with repeated listenings. It was a *good* CD before, but a *great* CD like this one introduces new elements in successive listening; there are certainly things I'm still noticing about a few songs I've heard a million times over the past few months.



I'd give it more of a 4.5 out of 5 if it were an option; this isn't the best Dubs album in my opinion, but the technical elements blow the others to shame. If you're going to wade in slowly, I'd suggest starting with "Please," "Come Back Home," "OK," and "Confusion." It makes a good introduction to the Dubs for anyone coming from a rock background ("Breathe" is better for the more traditional types, but admittedly we are in the minority)."

The Best Yet!

J. C. Mudd | Boston, MA USA | 03/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the best yet for the Young Dubs. "Real World" is an album that soars from the opening fiddle and drum intro all the way through dark guitar riffs of "Confusion". Songs like "Real World", "Touch the Sky", "OK", "Say its So" and "Evermore" signify the ascendency of the Young Dubs to the pinnacle of the Celtic rock genre and their transcendence of it. This is no niche market production, it is straight ahead rocknroll that just happens to use some traditional Celtic tunes and instrumentation. The recording is so tight and so well mixed it actually captures the intensity and energy of their renowned live show which is where the Dubs shine.



Keith Robert's vocals and lyrics are poignant and raucous all at once. Bob Boulding's guitars rip through song after song literally shredding the ears in "OK", a brilliantly written social critique with classic punk rock edge. With each listen I can smell the smoke rising off Chas Waltz's fiddle as he reels off some of the best bow-work ever especially in "Waxies Dargle". The foundation of this album however is what separates it from the pack. Dave Ingraham's drums and Brendan Holmes' bass are solid bedrock and the recording shows-off their thunder. Dave's driving rhythms and Brendan's melodic fretwork ground every track, especially when they put Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull through a workout in "Banshee".



As a body of work this is one of the most emotionally and intellectually mature recordings in the recent history of rocknroll, right up there with U2's "Atomic Bomb", seriously. The tracks on Real World conquer politics, war, grief and relationships with all the passion and enthusiasm of band that is in their prime. If you don't buy this CD you will be missing one rockin good time, so do yourself a favor and check it out."