The Dropkick Murphys' "Blackout" gets 4/5 stars!

Being a Dropkick Murphy fan from the beginning, I've been skeptical at times about their most recent releases. "Blackout" is completely different than releases like "The Gangs All Here" to "Sing Loud, Sing Proud". From the start you can hear that it's a more collective effort from Ken Casey and Al Barr sharing vocals more, while the whole band chimes in more as well. With a new blower behind the pipes (Scruffy Wallace) they are tighter than ever, and you can expect no change there. The first track "Walk Away" sets the album off to a good start and is the song they recently did a video for, which can be found on the dvd that comes with the cd. It also features some live St. Patty's Day footage. Next is the pipe laden track "Worker's Song" which is the typical Murphy's worker's anthem with the classic raspy Ken Casey vocals. "Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight" with the background of air horns is one hell of an anthem and I'm sure we'll all be hearing more of it. It's the fast paced type Dropkick Murphys song we all know and love. Al and Ken share great vocals, while the band chants in their usual style. The rest of the album is quite folky, yet still rockin. Nothing wrong with the Irish folk tunes, I'm just more of a fast paced Dropkick Murphy's fan as I have been from the beginning. From seeing these guys at a frat part at Cornell University to hearing their latest debut, they have come one hell of a long way. "Blackout" takes on more of a catchy Murphy's sound but kick ass none the less.
Reviewed by: Marv
href='http://www.punkbands.com' target='_blank'>www.punkbands.com