Band: Dropkick Murphys
Album: Sing Loud, Sing Proud
Reviewer: Glen Smyth

I finally got my hands on this CD and being a pretty big Dropkick Murphys fan I was expecting big things. First listen, which is often the case for me I wasn't impressed. There seemed to be more Scottish influence than usual and fewer anthems than past albums, which was a little disappointing. The album got better after every additional time played through however, with Irish influences becoming more evident.

The lyrics range from old tales of Scotland and Ireland and their characters in the form of such songs as "The Legend of Finn MacCumhail" and "The Rocky Road to Dublin" to working class songs about tradition, pride and honour and of course goodtime songs about beer and rock and roll. The music has that same old mix of street punk and Irish folk.

The great lyrics and knee slapping tunes make this a great album. Different to the their past albums, which is essential in maintaining a strong fan base, and yet not different enough to be distancing themselves from what has made them successful in the past. Although sometimes I was confused as to whether this CD should be played in an Irish pub or at the Edinburgh Tattoo, it has enough quality songs to not care about whether Irish or Scottish or even American influences are dominant. Favourite songs would have to be "Forvever", "The Gauntlet", "A Few Good Men" and "The Spicy McHaggis". A good mix of slower and faster songs, and a good album to listen to while getting on the piss.