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Title: Was there substance in the 1980's? Perhaps ...
Review: People often lament: What happened to the era of the lyricist? Why are the only people writing exciting lyrics the same people--Dylan, Morrison, Simon, Mitchell, Springsteen--who were writing them in the late '60's and '70's? When asked that question, I point to Mike Scott of the Waterboys, who here demonstrates a deft pen, while the rest of the Boys make a beautiful ruckus behind him. This album is their most pastoral, I think, and owes a serious debt to the likes of Van Morrison and the Chieftains. The best songs show the connection of American country & western music to Scots-Irish folk ballads without straining in the least. Check out "Strange Boat", "And a Bang on the Ear", and their harder-rocking cover of Morrison's exquisite "Sweet Thing."
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