It took me a while to get used to this CD. Repeated plays have however proved rewarding and despite my early reservations I now find this music hugely entertaining.
The mixture of hip hop beats unfortunately will put many fans of Irish trad off, and much of the brass input in these songs wouldn't be missed if they weren't there but Shannon and McGoldrick in particular are so well-respected that hopefully people will listen to "Renegade"(appropriate title) before deciding to buy or ignore.
My copy has a different track order than mentioned above and starts with "The Maid behind the Bar". It is a good taste of what to expect. Drum loops set a rhythm that the players respond to with fairly classic sounding dance tunes. A friend of mine who does Irish dancing remarked that the tempos were spot on, unforced and relaxed.
"Get a Hold of Me" showcases how wonderful Irish tunes can sound in different musical contexts - here a hip hop song. 2 big surprises and indeed bonuses were the debut songs by both Mike McGoldrick (The Curra Road) and Jim Murray (The First Time Ever) - both quality performances that suggest they should sing a lot more.
There are "conventional" trad instrumentals in "The Full Set" and "Gaffo's Ball" where the playing of Shannon, McGoldrick and Dezi Donnelly is brilliant. Donnelly is a little less obvious on the other tracks. Jim Murray contributes muted guitar as drum beats make his acoustic redundant on some pieces. His bass playing is fairly mundane but this music actually needs bass more than acoustic accompaniment. I've already mentioned that the brass interjections don't really add much to the tunes, but McGoldrick has used them extensively on his own solo releases and appears to be sticking to his guns !
This CD does need an open mind and it does require a few listens. It contains much fine music and I for one will definitely be giving it regular listens. It's well worth your scrutiny !