(Album Review) THE OUTCAST CREW - Myths & Yarns

Release date: October 2021 (Songs to your Eyes)

Written by Jeff Tighe

Myths & Yarns is the debut release from Celtic rockers The Outcast Crew. Given the amount of grey hair among most of the band members, one must assume they are not complete musical novices, despite this being their first effort together. The band's niche in the rock world lands somewhere between the folk rock of the Dubliners and the Pogues, and the punk influence of Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. They have been described as Irish pub rock, and that seems apt.

The 10 song, 30-minute album has lots of the usual nautical anthems from the age of sail ("Sailor Song" and "Bound For Hell"), drinking ("Move Along" and "Grass is Always Greener") and lost love ("Stow Away" and "Oh She Said") as seems to be mandatory among the Celtic rock'n'roll set.

Starting with the driving banjo sound of "Move Along', which sounds like it is influenced by Dropkick Murphys, and then moving into the Flogging Molly-inspired, accordion and fiddle heavy "Stow Away", the listener knows immediately where these boys (Ed: ... and girl!) are going. Lead singer and principal song writer Brian O'Mahoney's vocals aren't at the same quality level as Al Barr's or Dave King's, but they are gritty enough to fit the rough and tumble nature of the excellent material he has penned.

The weakest songs on the album are "Banshees Holler" and "Wait Til the Sun Goes Down", but they aren't bad. "Your the One I Want" is a speedy tune that's catchy enough to be a radio friendly single without being a wimpy sell out. The rest of the album has nothing but high quality entries, with "Sailor Song" and "Renegade" being two stand out tracks.

For those readers who visit the world of rock outside extreme metal or punk, this will have you singing along in no time. You can even play this for your friends who don't like metal and they will no doubt find their toes tapping. If you are drunk enough it may even get your party guests jigging. Great stuff.

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