Black 47 - New York Town
By Alice Farrell

Listening to the new release from Black 47 “ New York Town ” I get the feeling of being at an emotional street fair that runs the gamut of the ups and downs that this fabulous town can put you through.
I have been a fan, and proud to say friend, of the guys in Black 47 for many years now, and never prouder of their efforts. The polish and prowess has even put a new twist on songs that I thought I knew, making me look at them in a whole new light.

Lead singer and writer Larry Kirwan finds that the inspiration came from “James Joyce's statement that if the city of Dublin were to be destroyed, it could be rebuilt brick by brick from a reading of Ulysses. Old Jamesy is a hard act to follow but I used his book of short stories, Dubliners, as somewhat of a template for New York Town . It's not a sequential portrait of the city, but is a look at the five boroughs in my memories and adventures before 9/11 and of the way it appears to me now, living on here.”

There's frolics, fun, pathos, tears, sweat, fire and humour, all the pre-requisites for a walk through this great city.

Leading off with the rollicking San Patricio, telling a tale as only Larry Kirwan can, of the brotherhood which sprung up between the Irish and the Mexicans who joined together, laughing in the face of discrimination, to build not only the buildings but the great neighborhoods that still help to give the city a lot of it's unique flavor.

One of the underlying currents of this, as with many albums that have come out in the past 2 years, deals with Larry's own take on the tragedy of September 11 th . I recall talking to Larry a few days after it happened and hearing the chilling story of him sitting at home in Downtown Manhattan, just blocks from the site, and hearing the noise and watching the plane fly by. This all comes into play beautifully in the title track “New York Town”, a reggae tune which brings to the forefront his own indignation at the spin-doctoring and patronizing that has become a too frequent sentiment among people here who wonder what is next.

The heart-wrenching “Fiona's Song” a duet with Rosanne Cash is the lament of a girl who left her boy, and most of her heart, back in Ireland and now sits in a bar in Queens wishing she were back with him. It even mentions a bar in my own neighborhood, full of many faces that tell that tale all too well. The mesmerizing fiddling of the great Eileen Ivers and whistle and pipes of Joseph Mulvanerty adds the plaintive tone that brings Fiona's heartstrings jumping right off the disc.

The fun factor is in full swing, literally, with the hilarious “Staten Island Baby” featuring the incomparable David Johansen on guest vocals. In creating this tune, Larry pays homage to Glen Miller and the swing era, evoking the strains of “In the Mood.” A fun tale of a rock and roller considering giving it all up and joining the NYPD in order to please the girl he loves. Classic sacrificial love poetry as only Larry Kirwan can write it.

The standout tune for me on the disc has to be “Mychal” the song for Father Mychal Judge, the chaplain of the NYFD who died tending to dying firefighters at the World Trade Center . The beauty of the man is as crystal clear as that morning sky was on that day. Set to the tune of “The Croppy Boy”, it is yet another example of how wonderfully Black 47 weave traditional tunes into a fabric all their own. Larry tells me: “I always remember Eddie Furey's words to me back in the Eagle Cafe in the 70's. ‘Don't ever go near a traditional song unless you can add something to it. Otherwise the tradition goes and dies.” Starting off with guitar and voice and building to skirls of pipes that evoke the smoke and flames of which Father Mike was never afraid, and is a love song to the light that he found in each and every person he came across.

More great stories round out the collection, including a revisiting of “Livin' In America” with Mary Courtney of Morning Star, giving us the picture 11 years later of a couple for whom things don't pan out quite as they'd hoped. It still retains it's raw energy and I can see the people dancing to it in my head. The sultry uptown flavor of the funky “Black Rose” featuring the smoky vocals of Broadway veteran Rozz Moorehead. The Low-East-Sida anthem “Blood Wedding.”, and the middle-eastern flavored “ Fatima ” a story of heart-break in cross-cultural relationships. Other stellar guest appearances include Suzzy Roche, Christine Ohlman and Ashley Davis.

You can join in the walk around the city and pick up your own copy at http://www.cdbaby.com/black475 or check them out live, something I highly recommend as well, by checking their current tour dates in support of the release at http://www.black47.com/schedule.htm