Thursday, January 03, 2013

Its Been One Hell of A Year......


RADIO REBEL GAEL TOP TEN : BEST OF 2012





1.) Pol Mac Adaim "My Name Is Troy Davis " CD 





With best song of the album, in my opinion, "Butterflies"




(Although, lets face it, the whole CD is phenomenal, this Belfast bred Rebel balladeer never fails to amaze us)



2.) Damien Dempsey "Almighty Love " CD 




With best song on the album, "Fire In The Glen", Dubliner and pugilist , Damo, releases another belter that stuns audiences, delivering us another musical knock out.



3.)  The Killigans "Another Round for the Strong of Heart" CD




These Nebraska Celtic Punkers have always thrilled me, and this 2012 release is no exception to their tradition of giving us Proletarian Punk Rock rebellion with a heavy Celtic influence. Very difficult for me to choose a best tune of this entire kick ass album, but, I think, "Salt of the Earth" , is one of the finest.



4.) Colm O’Brien “Back To Work?” CD




This Boston based Dubliner, and former band member of NY’s own,  The Prodigals, really impressed me with this mighty CD release. My personal top tune is “Ballad of Little John” .



5.) Screaming Orphans “The Jackets Green”




These Donegal sisters always lift my spirits when I am feeling down, and this album is one of their best examples of the musical heritage that lives on in the hills of Donegal. Favorite on this album must be “The Lark in the Morning”.



6.) John Mccullagh “Working Class Lowlife” CD 




This Yorkshire native, born of Irish miner stock, and now based in Melbourne, never fails to deliver a powerful musical message, speaking for the underclass and reminding us that we are not alone in our daily trials and tribulations. My personal fave on this incomparable album must be “The Ballad of the Belgrano”.




7.) Stephen Leeson “Isle of Hope” CD

Although, technically, it was done in 2011, it wasn’t released for public consumption until 2012, and the top track on this amazing release by one of the best Dublin balladeers gigging these days,  must be “Sky Over Ireland”. The banjo on this version really rocks.



8.) Damaris Woods “With A Banjo On My Knee” CD




Luton based banjo maestro, Damaris Woods, known for her fine work with Derek Warfield’s , Young Wolfe Tones, shines like the sunshine over Croagh Patrick, with this, her debut solo release, that really captures the power and prowess of Damaris with a banjo, like Muhammad Ali in the ring, she will not go down without a fight and her banjo is a powerful weapon as mighty as the fists of the younger Ali, or the RPGs of a South Armagh Active Service Unit.  My favorite on this sublime CD, must be “Jenny’s Welcome To Charlie”, but it’s a close tie with “Lough Mountain”.



9.)    The Langers Ball “The Devil or The Barrel” CD




These twin cities mighty Minnesotans have released probably the best drinkers album since The Dubliners, or The Clancy Brothers, with this great demonstration of what this upstart band have to offer. “Rye Whiskey” was my favorite on this disc, but it’s a close tie with “Whiskey Chaser”. This CD will intoxicate you and you will wake up wondering how you ended up in bed, far from home, with a splitting headache and some strange woman smiling at you, between gaped teeth.



10.)The Mickey Finns “ Prayers And Idle Chatter” CD

Last but never least, this band made up of two former band members of New York’s , The Prodigals, released an album that was more honky tonk than we expected, but nonetheless, one that will be remembered as one of the best Irish Country albums, of all time. My favorite on this album had to be, “The Ballad of Duffys Cut”, which is a hell of better tribute to those 57 Irish workers who ended up in a mass grave in Pennsylvania, than the tune by Wally Page, in my humble opinion, even if Christy Moore did a fine version of it.



I also wanted to give some honorable mention to those CDs that would have ended up on Radio Rebel Gael’s 2012’s Top Ten, had they not been released in 2011, 2010, etc, and those would be :



Chicago Reel  self titled CD.



Christy Moore “Folk Tale” CD



Dropkick Murphys “Going Out In Style” CD

Longtime Courting “Alternate Routes” CD



The Rumjacks  “Gangs of New Holland” CD



The Currency – self titled CD.



Cruachan “Blood On the Black Robe” CD



The Fighting Jamesons  -self titled CD.



Roughneck Riot “Night Train With The Reaper” CD

No comments: