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 BLAGGARDS-
Standards (Site)
Covering songs can be a touchy art. Make the song sound the same as the
original and the listener has to wonder who cares? Changing the song too
much can squash the original’s intent. On Standards,
Blaggards have found the perfect middle road and drunkenly…ehem…happily
strolls down its merry way. If you’re looking for great music spilling
with Irish attitude, look no further. Opening with “Drunken Sailor,”
this version is as hard hitting as a fist full of knuckles. Showcasing
sheer musical genius, The Blaggards melt together two completely
different, and great, songs; Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and
traditional Irish weeper “The Fields of Athenry,” giving birth to
“Prison Love Songs.” You will not hear a better version of “
Rocky Road
to
Dublin
” anywhere. Singer/guitarist, and
Dublin
born, Patrick Devlin has the perfect voice that captures the emotions of
the song, especially the fighting part. While Turi Hoiseth’s violin
reigns supreme in “Slapper’s Medley,” her playing is an anchor
within the music throughout the disc. Hey is that a bit of reggae/ska I
hear in “Suspicious Minds?” Although I’ve never seen the Blaggards
in person, all pictures of Patrick Devlin and drummer Brian Vogel (hails
from MA) lead me to believe that they’re whack jobs. Do I smell opening
slots for Flogging Molly or Dropkick
Murphys? – Denis Sheehan
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