This New York Celtic Rock band features ex members of Gael Force, Sonas , The Rising and Ceann, and rock the Public House with a diverse blend of Irish, Scots, and Cape Breton Celtic Folk, Ceilidh Country, Celtic Rock & Reel and even a dazzling dash of reggae and Irish rap, continuing that New York Irish tradition that Black 47 and Seanchai & The Unity Squad began in the early 90s. If that wasn’t cool enough already, Uileann piper, Chris Byrne of Black 47/Seanchai compliments their rousing Rock & Reel in the quartet’s quintessential Fenian original, “Queen of the IRA”, and their superb cover of Dominic Behan’s “Auld Triangle”, with mighty presence and acumen.
Kick-starting this hair-raising (and razing) hot Hibernian hullabaloo New York-based Hooley is a grand tribute to Irish heroines and female freedom fighters, the aforementioned barn-burning “Queen of the IRA”, a brilliant Celtic Rock accolade to all those women, living and departed, who dedicated themselves to the cause of Irish Freedom; Miriam Daly, Marie Drumm, Bernadette Devlin-Mc Aliskey, Josephine Hayden, Mairead Farrell, and so many others. Amy Beshara’s fiddler’s finesse lifts you from the dreary doldrums of clock-punching work-a-day existence, with a Celtic melody that soars like the phoenix of 1916, it’s scorched yet flapping musical wings breathing the spirit of revolutionary rebirth from the embers.
Next, “Beauty of Your Creation” is a Ska-Rock love song, that doesn’t quite reach the musical summits of the intro track, and a bit too “collegey” for me, but once again, Amy Beshara’s fine fiddling saves this somewhat mediocre tune, making it listenable, in a “Pop song” kind of way. Granted, not everybody can tackle the challenge of combining Ska, Rock & Roll and Celtic music like Black 47 or Seanchai & The Unity Squad, so I give Cruel Seamus three cheers for making this brave attempt, but I hope Cruel Seamus doesn’t think I’m being cruel by honestly saying that Ska is not their forte. But atleast it wasn’t Sublime or something like that. All in all, it does have a nice melody, just not my personal cup of tea.
Next, brilliant fiddler Amy Beshara once again shines like a diamond in the rough a she leads on the upwards path towards Celtic Victory, with a crackin’ good traditional medley of “Neil Gow’s Lament”, “Maid Behind The Bar”, and “Captain Alex Fraser”, with guitarists Kevin Doyle and Tom Dunphy giving her musical backup. Cruel Seamus teleport us back to a forgotten age, where Cuchulainn and his Red Branch fought the armies of Queen Maeve and Finn McCool trying to catch the salmon of knowledge.
Afterwards, Ceilidh Country reminiscent of Barnbrack meets Steve Earle lifts us from our urban confines to the musical fields of Tennessee or Sligo, with “Last Breath”, another fine original by Cruel Seamus that would please Nashville fanatics and Celtic Rock connoisseurs alike. With a soulful harmony that makes you want to do the two boot scoot boogie followed up with a Ceilidh jig, this Culchee Rock original really made me smile. And hell, everybody knows I’m not the smiley-face type.
“Auld Triangle” follows, this Dominic Behan classic made famous by The Pogues when they featured it on their debut album, “Red Roses for Me” in 1984, making it a hard song to cover without getting tomatoes thrown at you, but Cruel Seamus seem to have been able to pull it off without a hitch. Complimented by Chris Byrne (Black 47/Seanchai)’s Uillean bagpiping, Cruel Seamus do justice to this old Fenian anthem. Crackin’ good, Cruel Seamus, crackin’ good.
Next, “Here I Am” is a spacey tune that brings us back to the era of Psychedelic Rock, ala Vanilla Fudge or Cream’s “Disraeli Gears”, remaining “trippy” and a bit “Cosmic” without losing their Celtic Rock melody.
“3000 Miles” follows with a Van Morrison style vocal style in a great Celtic love song with a Reggae twist, where lead singer (John Shea or Tom Dunphy?) here definitely impresses me with his Hibernian harmony and soulful melody that will be a favorite, for sure, for those who like Damien Dempsey or Van Morrison, because the singing here is on the same level and wavelength, and will not disappoint those who appreciate that particular sound.
Afterwards, a second medley of Celtic reels & jigs lifts us from our seats as “Morrison’s Jig”, “The Swallow Tail Reel” and “Apples In Winter” leads us to that Ceilidh dance floor to shake it with abandon. The superb drumming of John Shea and fiddle finesse of Amy Beshara ready us for musical battle, with a Firbolg boom boom that would make Balor of the Evil Eye, mighty proud.
Never to be outdone, Cruel Seamus will next totally surprise you with “Irish Pride”, a bump-bump-bumping Irish Rap anthem led by Glasgow born & bred wild child rapper, Griddy, whose mad rhymes will make you wanna put on your Kangol cap and do the funky robot.
Next, “Song of the Chanter” is a cracker-jack traditional ditty that ranks right up there with stalwart balladeers like the Battering Ram or The Dubliners.
And to conclude a phenomenal “Irish Wake of Cruel Seamus”, “Garden Rose” is less a funeral dirge or ballad of lost love than a stirring Celtic Rock lullaby with enough twang and fiddle to please both Sligo and Kentucky, in one Fenian fiddlers fell swoop. Be proud Irish New Yorkers, just because New York hasn’t known musical legend since the advent of Black 47 or Seanchai & The Unity Squad, doesn’t mean the green light at the end of the dark tunnel has gone out. Cruel Seamus are proof positive that the Celtic Flame is still burning bright.
-Rory Dubhdara, Radio Rebel Gael
