GAELIC STORM

Cabbage

gaelicstorm.com

Like fellow Irish expatriates Black 47, Santa Monica’s Gaelic Storm pays homage to the homeland and keeps the ties intact. Not surprisingly, then, fiddles, bagpipes, rock and reels make Cabbage a hearty stew. Comprised mostly of uptempo tunes, the album revives the celebratory style that got the Storm attention for its role as the resident dance band in the film Titanic. Gaelic Storm’s spirited approach informs every offering here, from the rousing opener and first single, “Raised on Black and Tans,” through the final boisterous shout-out “Chucky Timm.” Likewise, a cover of Paul Simon’s “Cecilia” and some select instrumentals—“Blind Monkey” and “The Buzzards of Bourbon Street” in particular—only add to the frenzy stirred up by a Storm at full force.