The album opens with “Connolly Was There,” a song written by Irish songwriter Dominic Behan about labor organizer James Connolly, who was executed for his part in the Easter Rising of 1916. River Drivers deliver a rousing rendition, with a strong lead vocal performance by Kevin McCloskey. That’s followed by “Going Once,” an original composition by Mindy Murray. It’s a song about people losing their family farm, watching it being auctioned off, and Mindy sings lead. “They planted beans and corn in the field out back/They just couldn’t sell enough to pay off the tax/Telling the kids was pretty hard/Do I hear two thousand for this farm/It’s going once, going twice, sold.” Though it’s an original song, it fits in perfectly with traditional folk numbers. And who knows, maybe one day it will be considered one. At the end, Mindy tells the crowd that the farm did sell for $4,000. The song is a true story about her grandparents.
The band then turns to the work of Irish songwriter Patrick Joseph McCall, also known as P.J. McCall, delivering a good version of “Kelly The Boy From Killane,” another song for the working man. This track features a passionate vocal performance from Kevin McCloskey and some really nice stuff from Marian Moran on Irish whistle. They follow that with “Blair Mountain,” an original song written by Mindy Murray. This is an organizing song with a somber tone, its tale ending in death. It tells a true story of a labor uprising in West Virginia. It was included on the band’s self-titled 2015 album. Also written by Mindy Murray, “Cumann Na Mban” is about an organized group of women who played a part in the Easter Rising of 1916. This song has a great, raw power.
“Children’s March (Mother Jones)” is another original number, this one written by Mindy Murray and Kevin McCloskey. It is about labor organizer Mary Jones, known as Mother Jones, the lyrics telling something of her story. Kevin sings lead on this one. And again, this original song fits in well with the history of labor organizing songs. “Pray for the dead, fight like hell for the living/That’s what she said/She just ain’t forgiving anymore/She just declared war.” This is one of my personal favorites. It contains some good work on fiddle. Mindy then sings lead on “Erin Go Bragh,” and there is a great passion in her vocal delivery. That’s followed by “Moonshiner,” a traditional song and another of the disc’s highlights. This song includes the line “I spent all my money on whiskey and beer,” a line that is also in “The Wild Rover.” This track contains some excellent stuff on fiddle and Irish whistle, as well as one of the album’s best vocal performances. “The whole world’s a bottle, and life’s but a dram/When that bottle gets empty, it ain’t worth a damn.” I am particularly fond of the line “The whole world’s a bottle, and life’s but a dram,” playing on the line “Life’s but a dream.” Another traditional tune follows, “Pat Works On The Railway,” this one with Mindy Murray on lead vocals. And it is another great workers song. “In 1848, I learned to drink my whiskey straight.”
As was probably the case for a lot of folks, I first got turned onto Irish folk music through the recordings of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (and was fortunate enough to see Tommy Makem in concert a few times). On this album, River Drivers cover “Isn’t It Grand Boys,” the title track to the 1966 album. Here it is titled “Isn’t It Grand Boys (Look At The Coffin).” What I’ve always loved about this song is the delightfully dark humor of it. Check out these lines: “Isn’t it grand, boys, to be bloody well dead/Let’s not have a sniffle, let’s have a bloody good cry/And always remember the longer you live, the sooner you bloody well die.” Perfect, right? And these guys get into the spirit of the thing, delivering an excellent rendition. That’s followed by a cover of Blue Highway’s “Union Man,” a song written by Tim Stafford, this version featuring Mindy Murray on lead vocals. The feel of this version is a bit different from the original, this one not being bluegrass. There is a great power to this rendition. “I’ll never trust a rich man for as long as I draw breath/To keep his golden mansions, he’ll starve your son to death.” Yup. And when I hear the phrase “golden mansions,” I can’t help but think of a certain sociopath who actually has a golden toilet. The album began with a song written by Dominic Behan, and it concludes with one as well, “Crooked Jack.” This is one that most people know. And it is familiar even to those who don’t know it, because it uses the same tune as “Star Of The County Down.” These guys deliver a powerful rendition, with Kevin McCloskey on lead vocals.
CD Track List
- Connolly Was There
- Going Once
- Kelly The Boy From Killane
- Blair Mountain
- Cumann Na MBan
- Children’s March (Mother Jones)
- Erin Go Bragh
- Moonshiner
- Pat Works On The Railway
- Isn’t It Grand Boys (Look At The Coffin)
- Union Man
- Crooked Jack
Live At SteelStacks is scheduled to be released on September 2, 2024, which is Labor Day.
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