Dropkick Murphys Rich Blood Pours Out In "Signed and Sealed in Blood"

Just by listening to even one of the Dropkick Murphys' records, even if for only 45 minutes, that is good enough to make you an honorary Irishman regardless of what your true ethnicity is. "Signed and Sealed in Blood" represents a beefy travel guide through the travails of modern day Irishmen delivered to you in an uncompromising, teeth sawed off at the gum line sort of way. Want proof that these rowdies mean it? "The Boys are Back" hits its mark with a galvanized fist. There's a nice new hole punched through the side of the pub. Send the bill to the Murphys. Matt Kelly demonstrates on this track how electric guitar isn't always the most amped contributor to a song. How else would you be compelled to pull up a bar stool and knock back an O'Douls or three? It's been a long time but they're out to bust heads down at the watering hole. In no way is this an example of bastardized Celt punk fresh from Boston. It's just as deserving of your awe as Cheers bar or the oft played up Red Sox or baked beans. I was flat out floored by this song. I felt the leather punching me upside the head and, what's more, I totally enjoyed it. Working man blues consume each cranny of "Prisoner's Song". Still waiting on these American shores for opportunity to come knocking? The Dropkick Murphys have exactly the brand of reassurance you need. Jeff DaRosa's banjo keeps the time. Tim Brennan's mouth-watering accordion resurrects the place. These aren't wimpy shoulders to cry on, but truer troubadours you'll never find. "Rose Tattoo", only tightens the relentless foray into Celtic loyalty, into blood ties that  the grave doesn't tarnish or wipe away. Here we get an indoctrination into how wistful a tin whistle can be. The credit for any and all lasting impression goes to the mastery of that instrument as displayed by one Josh "Scruffy" Wallace. I know Xmas season is now in the rear view mirror again, but I couldn't let this review get printed without playing up how milk out of the nose hilarious "The Season's Upon Us" is. In the world of stand up comedy one of things that impresses me most is how the comic, through timing and perception, manages to get away with saying things that most of us can't blurt out in public. If there's a particularly virulent strain in your DNA that seems to be fully exposed when the extendeds come calling The Dropkick Murphys take impish delight in holding it aloft, and broadcasting its ugliness much like a neon EAT AT JOE'S sign is impossible to ignore simply because it's so remorselessly tacky. You'll feel a bit better knowing these guys are fully aware that some families, like bands that haven't struck a chord of harmony once, should never be in the same hemisphere, much less the same dinner table. The deliciously naughty mystery Maggie is front and center in "Out on the Town". The pelvic naughtiness implied here is hard to turn away from. If you can be a Celtic bad girl and radiate sex appeal at the same time, this is the track to prove it. Watch out for Maggie's sharp tongue though. Butcher knives are seldom merciful. "My Hero", an impassioned salute to the old man, has juice to burn due in large part to the whirring buzz saw masquerading as James Lynch's supercharged guitar. Take one listen here and the male portion of the audience will swear it received a complimentary shave minus the unforgiving steel blade. After all that in your face mayhem isn't it nice the lads close up shop this go round with a song that refuses to stand still until the barkeep kicks everybody out. That would be "End of the Night".Lead vocalist Ken Casey has scads of stories to tell. By the time this nostalgic Massachusetts evening concludes he'll have amassed a pretty fine batting average pertaining to how many he's told front to back. What a smartly executed way for all of us to catch our breath. "Signed and Sealed in Blood" is far more than merely worth bothering with. If you wish to hoist a flagon of ale afterwards, that's a bonus. The Dropkick Murphys is one band of scamps with an amazing future ahead of it. They've hit their stride in every facet. You'll be grateful tired as opposed to drained tired. Only master storytellers could take you to that state of being.