Home at Last, the new Folk/Trad album by The Boxty Lads is an ambitious debut with 17 tracks (26 songs/tunes in total) and over an hour in length but it keeps your attention from start to finish by exploring many different sides of the genre. Jigs and reels, sea-shanties, drinking songs and ballads to name but a few.
All 5 members of the band (from Dublin and Rome ) contribute strongly to the vocal harmonies and instrumentals alike. Folk and trad classics like Star of the County Down or Morrison’s are given a refreshing new lease of life and some lesser known like The Butterfly and South Australia move smoothly from the refined to the downright rowdy. From the fun of Rare Old Mountain Dew and Waxies’ Dargle, the bawdy Sally Brown to the comic/tragedy of Rosa Pitosa ( ask a Sicilian ).
Their own compositions, however, are the real gems to discover on Home at Last. Joe’s Song, Lay Your Head Down, You Taught Us and Sara in Boxty-land all reveal a mature songwriting force to be reckoned with, with all members bringing something to the table. The traditional and the original songs/tunes sit side by side beautifully.