It’s no secret that the Dropkick Murphys have found great success both inside and outside of their hometown area of Boston. With each passing release, their albums have climbed higher and higher on the Billboard Top 100 list, as their latest, 2007’s The Meanest Of Times ascended to an all-time high of 20. And with their sixth and newest album, set to be released March 1, expect that number to go even higher.
Going Out In Style provides the usual Dropkick Murphys instrumentation we’ve all come to enjoy, ranging from bagpipes to banjos, which somehow always seem to complement each other. Songs on the album range from fairly slow, Irish storytelling tunes such as “Broken Hymns” and “Cruel,” to relatively fast, uplifting songs such as “Hang ‘Em High” and “Memorial Day.” There are also two collaboration songs on the album, with appearances from NOFX’s Fat Mike, The Living End’s Chris Cheney, and some guy named Bruce Springsteen on guest vocals in the song “Peg O’ My Heart.”
Whether or not you are into the Dropkick Murphys doesn’t matter, because you will find this album extremely melodic and arousing. It’s very diverse and complex, and it just seems like Going Out In Style will bring them over the top. It’s a CD created to make you feel at home whether you’re jamming out by yourself or singing along with some buddies in a bar in a glorified unity. I’m not taking anything away from what the band has done in the past but their newest album is their best yet.
In A Word: Captivating
Grade: A-
