Trouble in Land

Black 47 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 11, 2000)
• Original Release Date: January 11, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Shanachie
• ASIN: B00003IE1R
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,949 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #82 in Music > World Music > Celtic > Rock

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty, January 12, 2000

By 

Mike Borowski (West Palm Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trouble in Land (Audio CD)

Some CD's require multiple listenings before one appreciates the quality and content of the recording. Not so, with Black 47's "Trouble In The Land." The CD jumps at the listener with a gritty , yet listenable performance which captures the feel of a Black 47 live concert.

The album is perhaps Black 47's most lyrically loaded recording; and this allows the listener to have a full dose of Larry Kirwan's evocative vocalizations, not to mention his writing. The CD also seems to feature more focus upon Freddy Parcell's trombone and Geoffrey Blythe's sax as more than support for the guitar work and vocals. The only missing element comes from a de-emphasizing of Chris Byrne's hip-hop vocal style. If only the guys would have included one or two more cuts....! Buy this album today!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honesty, Committment, and Passion, August 10, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trouble in Land (Audio CD)

Lead singer and main songwriter Larry Kirwan writes some of the most awkwardly phrased lyrics you will ever hear. His singing is a strange yelp that always sounds a little off-tempo and off-key. The other singer, Chris Byrne, plays ullean pipes and growls out strained, raspy pseudo-rap. The band is a collection of misfits picked up in the streets and bars of New York City. Add it all up... and you have a great band. Black 47 is like no other band I know. Irish influenced rock that rails against oppression, sings about the bleakness of life and love in a way that is not lyrical, but starkly real. Some songs are history lessons, featuring long spoken pieces by guest speakers, and some songs are simply and joyfully ludicrous. Through it all is the Kirwan, holding it all together with his vision and passion. More than anything, Black 47 is a band of moments. Case in point: In the midst of a somewhat pedestrian rocker about Kirwan trying to find a prostitute in Europe to have sex on James Joyce's grave (I kid you not), the band suddenly changes tempo, changes key, and gives 75 seconds of the most uplifting, purely joyful music you will hear this year. A Black 47 album is full of such moments, sewn together with the rough threads of honesty, commitment, and passion.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not afraid to mix fun with a serious side, June 21, 2006

By 

J. Carroll "Jack" (Island Heights,NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trouble in Land (Audio CD)

Black 47 is an interesting band. When they are looking for a good time few bands can match them. "Delirious," "Desperate," "Bodhrans on the Brain," and "I Got Laid on James Joyce's Grave" are all fine examples of the band at its wildest; ska and Celtic rhythms meet in an unholy amalgamation that can't help but get your feet moving as a smile creeps across your face. But the band sets its sights a bit higher than just party music. Racism and American and Irish politics are all topics open for examination as well the deeper emotions that welcome a poet's touch. Occasionally heavy-handed ("Bobby Kennedy being a prime example of going a bit over the top)") but never boring, Black 47 is a band that deserves a wider audience.