Incredible, clever, over-joyous, happy-fit-inducing contemporary Celtic music. It’s Gaelic Storm and it’s so damn good! Almost everything is upbeat and super-cheerful, and there’s some expert playing here as well. These guys are talented, genuine, and just ridiculously fun to listen to.

FCC clean! Start with track 11. Then listen to them all. Seriously.

*1. Upbeat jig about being Irish — sorta. Super catchy chorus.
2. Mid/up song about why the Irish don’t have a space program.
3. Mid-tempo, somewhat predictable (and repetitive) melody.
*4. Upbeat, kick-ass instrumental. It’s superbly played, but stay away if you’re averse to high-pitched fiddling and bagpiping.
5. Mid/up hand-clapper. “Green eyes, red hair, long legs. She’s got the Devil inside her.
”6. Mid-tempo, heavier melody with some heavier lyrics about running out of whiskey (it’s a travesty, for sure).
7. Mid/up sweet and feel-good round. Another well-played instrumental.
8. Mid/up cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Cecilia”. Surprisingly well-done, but an odd choice for Gaelic Storm.
9. Upbeat, full-on Celtic instrumental.
*10. Mid-tempo song about a mutiny. Slow and foreboding verses develop into a toe-tapping chorus as the ship is overthrown.
*11. Upbeat and oh so good. A song about rum runners during the U.S. Prohibition. Pleasant and joyous, with varied instrumentation.
12. Downbeat. The only truly slow track on the album. A nice contrast, but not all that remarkable.
*13. Upbeat. With a track title like “Crazy Eyes McGullicuddy” you can’t go wrong. Another superb, varied, hard-hitting instrumental.
14. Upbeat. A modern classic in the field of Irish drinking songs.

-Alan Joyce