Review - The Barley Boys - No More Shenanigans
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Artist: The Barley Boys
CD: No More Shenanigans
Bonnie proclaimates: Get ready to squeeee! Or make whatever your particular happy noise is. No More Shenanigans, by The Barley Boys, is full of fun and will surely put a smile on your face and a squeeee! on your lips. According to their Myspace page, these guys are in New Jersey, but I’ve lived in Georgia all my life and I tell you there’s some serious southern rock influence going on here.
Black and Tans is a solid version of the classic, enhanced to way above average by the fiddling in the background. The drumming throughout and especially at the introduction is awesome. I love the sound of the vocals, I love the tight musicianship, and especially the electric interlude. My only complaint (and it’s a small one) is that I didn’t feel the guts and glory passion that can be achieved with this song - I think it was sacrificed a bit to the control needed to weave the various stylistic components together.
I’m embarrassed to say that this is the first time that I’ve listened to the original version of Black Velvet Band, only having heard the parody until now. I’m not disappointed, this is a fun traditional song (and cautionary tale!) and I think it’s extraordinarily suited to the prodigious talent of lead singer Mike Babick.
I think the band was channeling Jimmy Buffet for All The Words. I can’t explain it any better than that, and I was called crazy for it, but just listen.
Tennessee Waltz is probably the song on the c.d. with the least amount of Celtic, well, anything, going on but I played it over and over. Everything works here, the vocals, the drums, fiddle, bass, all just as smooth and sweet as warm delicious butterscotch. This is the epitome of romantic songs to dance to, if you know, you don’t listen to the lyrics. Because they’re freaking depressing. As in “I’m just gonna go home, lie down, and listen to country music. The music of pain.” And if you know where that quote comes from I will feed you a virtual cookie with butterscotch chips.
I really hate that Drunk Again is the last song on the album, pretty much because it was the only song that I didn’t like and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. (I’m all about the food metaphors today it seems.) Too much gratuitous clinking of glasses, too many howling dogs, and one too many references to killing your girlfriend and throwing her ass out the door. Skip this one and listen to Tennessee Waltz again. (Also a depressing song, but pretty! And without the homicidal tendencies.)
Please don’t let that last paragraph put you off the entire c.d. I ate up (Yep, doing it on purpose now.) nine out of ten songs from No More Shenanigans and I look forward to listening to more of The Barley Boys in the future. This is an accomplished group of musicians with an innovative sound and amazing versatility. And I’ve heard that they rock out live, so go see them if you can.
Mike has less to say than Bonnie: All told, No More Shenanigans delivers exactly what it promises, no fooling around. There’s a decent mix of trad and original stuff, and all of it is well performed. I did have one problem with pretty much the entire CD. For some reason, the recording seems a little off. Sort of hollow in the bass. I won’t harp on it too much, because the result is somewhat interesting, but it seemed like the sound could have been a bit fuller. That being said, there’s some great music here.
Sean South is one of my absolutely favorite type of Irish songs. It’s a commemoration of an IRA man who was killed in a rather ill-fated attempt to storm an RUC barracks back in the 50’s. Strangely, Sean South wasn’t from Garryowen, as the song claims, but from another part of Limerick City. This, of course, isn’t a critique. The song is a traditional one, and apparently the writer just liked the way Garryowen rhymed. No problem there. I just thought it was a really interesting note about the history behind the tune. Of course, I pulled that little tidbit off Wikipedia, and because he’s a relatively obscure historical figure couldn’t really find any corroborating evidence, so take it for what it’s worth.
A few of the original songs on No More Shenanigans are superlative, The Silver King and Days of Abundance being my favorite of the bunch. The instrumental section on The Silver King is one of my favorite parts of the entire CD, but cursedly short.
The version of Black and Tans these guys play is one of the best I’ve heard, and that goes double for Black Velvet Band. Somehow, they’ve made these songs sound very original, without straying too far from their traditional roots. The best thing I know to tell you is go listen to it yourself and see what I mean! It’s awesome.
To find out more about The Barley Boys you can check out their website www.thebarleyboys.com or check out their Myspace Page. If you want to get your own copy of No More Shenanigans, you can run over and 
at CDBaby.
