Customer Reviews

Living River

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rawlins Cross blends traditional celtic influences with an infectious blend of rock. They will get you off the couch and hopping. "Morning After" and "Wild Rose" are barn burners, once you hear the songs you can't get them out of your head.

Rawlins Cross is a fantastic and highly underrated band, which combines traditional Celtic music with modern rock. The result is delightfully danceable and one of the best kinds of rock out there, and "Living River" is Rawlins Cross at its best.

The most memorable of the music on here is unashamedly rock-y, such as the explosive "Wild Rose," the entertaining "A Little of Your Lovin' Goes a Long, Long Way," the surreal "Forever Dancing," and faintly frantic "Morning After" ("foundation's shakin' but I'm doing all right/My heart is set on waking on the morning after"). There are also more sensitive ballads like "A Matter of the Heart," or "Through It All," in which the singer insists, "Depths of frustration/steeps stairs to climb/Trust and temptation - distance and time/from the horizen - hear my heart call/ History sister, I've loved you through it all." Some of them are the right blend of the traditional Celtic song and the rock song, such as "When My Ship Comes In," or the slower, more vague "Open Road."

One thing that sets "Living River" aside from the other Rawlins Cross album is the lyrics. The lyrics in "Make It On Time" were more like pub songs, but these have a more surreal bent to them (heck, the title and cover art are too). Here we also have lyrics that make references to shattering thunderstorms, Babylon, "sophisticated savages," ships sailing on plastic seas, white witches and black knights. Yet like the unlikely combo of rock, bagpipes, bodhran and accordion, these lyrics mesh together beautifully.

"Living River" is a fantastic album for fans of rock and fans of Celtic music. It's weird, funny, and unabashedly original. Definitely a keeper.

This is Celtic rock without all the drunken anger and bitterness, as played by apparently well adjusted people. No rebellion here, just upbeat travelling songs and whatnot that are fun for the whole family. Obviously talented musicians well versed in traditional Celtic music, this album deserves four or five stars for the quality of musicianship. The presentation is a little too mainstream for my taste, but that's just me. There's nothing wrong with some good clean fun sometimes I suppose, it's just so unusual for this genre of music.