When you wanted to hear traditional, straight-ahead, all-acoustic Irish/Celtic music (as opposed to contemporary Irish/Celtic pop and rock), one of the obvious places to turn was
Patrick Street
. The quartet wasn't out to compete with
the Pogues
or
Luka Bloom
-- in the '80s and '90s,
Street
was the type of group that appealed to Celtic purists.
is in fine form on
Live from Patrick Street
, which was recorded at various November 1998 shows during a tour of England and Ireland. The material ranges from traditional instrumental jigs and reels to Irish folk ballads such as
"Wild Rover No More"
and
"My Son in Amerikay,"
a poignant number about an Irish parent whose son has moved to the U.S. in search of opportunity. These songs require someone to be an expressive, convincing storyteller, and singer
Andy Irvine
is exactly that. Listeners who have savored
's studio recordings owe it to themselves to find this CD and hear how great the band sounds on stage. ~ Alex Henderson