by Marc Gunn

Artist: Black 47
Album: "New York Town"
Year: 2004

Black 47 really makes me adore Celtic music!

I'm listening to their latest CD, New York Town. It's tearing at my heart strings. I don't know whether I should smile and rock on with Black 47's amazing style of Celtic Rock that fuses traditional Irish instrumentation with horns and the hipper sounds of rock music, or should cry from the troubles endured by Irish immigrants to the United States.

I am doing both, because New York Town might not sound like trad Irish music with a drum set and horns, but it captures the Irish American mentality better than 90% of the contemporary Celtic albums I've heard.

The album begins with probably the most poignant song about Irish immigration, "San Patricio Brigade." In 1846, thousands of Irish immigrants joined the US Army to invade Mexico. The Anglo-Protestant officers treated them horribly. Add to this their doubts about fighting a Catholic country, hundreds of Irish desserted and signed on with the Mexican army. They were led by John Riley who formed the St Patrick's Batallion, also known as the San Patricio Brigade. And it takes someone like Larry Kirwan, Black 47's masterful Irish singer-songwriter, to really point out the tragedies endured.

And that's just the beginning of the CD. Every song is emotionally packed full of Irish stories that will really make you think. Larry Kirwan is not afraid to write and sing about the social issues endured by the Irish and of people in general, like New York Town which confronts 9/11 with visual acuity.

Black 47 also shows a reprise of a song from their first album, "Livin' In America - 11 Years On". I'll tell ye, I kinda glossed over it the first time I heard it on their self-titled CD, Black 47. I just can't do it here. It's probably one of my favorite songs, and it makes me want to weep. It could've been written a hundred years ago, and the story would still the same. Just as powerful and in some cases, it's even more touching.

New York Town also hosts a number of guest singers from Eileen Ivers on "San Patrico Brigade" to Christine Ohlman on "Blood Wedding". Mary Courtney does a a brilliant job of becoming a part of the story on "Livin' In America - 11 Years On". Roseanne Cash join Larry on "Fiona's Song" which is a another gripping story of lovers parted.

New York Town is the story of the Irish American immigrant, filled with all the gorgeous melancholy that haunts the passionate and makes you want to sing, dance, and cry over a pint of the human experience.

Labels: cd_review_2004

Posted by Marc Gunn, Thursday, July 22, 2004.
New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn!