Ten years and five albums down the line, The Electrics are still releasing albums that would make many of their juniors blush at the energy. Last year the band were unleashed on a mostly unsuspecting American public with a compilation album which contained many of their best tracks, even if it wasn't quite balanced enough sonically to keep every listener going the whole way through. This all-new album gave them a chance to make a more balanced recording, and they've certainly taken many of the right steps.
Ideas about heaven seem to be a recurring theme on this album, and the opening track is a case in point. Based on the parable of the great feast (Luke 14), it manages to mix hope and truth in with some shrewd phrasing and a lot of fun. "Party Goin' On Upstairs" is a good old-fashioned folk-rock song with plenty of fiddle and mandolin over Sammy Horner's distinctive vocals released by Sarabellum as the first rock single from the album.
A standout for me musically would have to be the second track, "Rolling Home," with its fluid pipes and warm feel. This one is possibly closer to some of their older material than some of the other tracks that push towards a slightly brighter feel.
If the strength of this album is anything to go by, their U. S. record deal certainly seems to be suiting the Electrics. Folk-rock studio albums are notoriously difficult to get right but this is one of the better releases of its sort I've heard in recent years, so grab your glass and have a jar of the Electrics.
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #74Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernWhat's cool is that the cover looks like some 80's metal artwork, in the style of Stryper's To Hell With the Devil or Messiah Prophet's Rock The Flock painting, with a medieval warrior with a flying V and a Marshall stack, repelling some attacking soldiers. Continuing in the rich tradition of Celtic music, The Electrics again squirt some vibrant rock & roll into a folky mix of said leanings. For…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Linda T. StonehockerFor most of this century, tenors warbling "Danny Boy" have defined the sound of Ireland worldwide. Claiming ancient authenticity, Celtic music has pushed aside such sentimental slop, but the other popular musical form, the Irish drinking song, as practiced by the likes of the Chieftains or the Clancy Brothers, is still great fun. The Electrics fit right into this second tradition, cranking out a…Similar sounding releases
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