MP3 The Prodigals - Whiskey Asylum: Select Prodigals Tracks 1999-2009

"The best Irish trad-rock band.NYC's jig-punk answer to the Pogues." - The Village Voice

18 MP3 Songs in this album (73:03) !
Related styles: WORLD: Celtic, ROCK: Folk Rock

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Details:
The catalyst for this album was twofold: the placement of two tracks (The Open Reel and The Bunch of Red Roses, both included on this compilation) on the 2008 Ed Norton/Colin Farrell Warner Brosâ film Pride and Glory; and the decade that has passed since Go On, the album that first brought the band major critical and audience attention.

The album consists of eighteen tracks, which in the words of founding member Gregory Grene, âcomprise a kind of best-possible-set if we were playing tomorrow. Itâs both back catalog and new songs that the band never recorded before. There were two deciding criteria: first, they had to be representative of the current band â these are all songs you will hear if you go to a concert right now, songs that have stood the test of time. And second, among those current songs, what are the tracks folk most avidly respond to at our concerts? Which are the ones that come up again and again as requests, âWhere can I find this track?ââ

Over the course of ten years and eleven members the band has undergone significant change, but according to Grene, there is a strong through-line. âOne of the unexpected pleasures of putting together this album has been discovering how cohesive it is. The themes, the writing, the sound â they have a consistency that is really gratifying. It feels like a band that has continued to grow and explore but has maintained an immediately audible, identifiable integrity.â

The back catalog tracks on Whiskey Asylum span seven albums and ten years. All manifest a sound that is so iconic and specific that, paradoxically, it has transcended any one locale or demographic, resulting in headlining concerts from Los Angeles to Maine, from the Guinness Fleadh to Music Midtown to the House of Blues.

There is Greneâs âsongwriting strengthâ [Irish Times], âthoughtful, intelligent lyricsâ [Washington Post] combined with âbeautifully constructed melodiesâ [Irish Voice]. There is a rhythm section that is âone of the most powerful and pulsating within the genreâ [All Music Guide], laying down âa musical anchor that couldnât be moved with a backhoe.â [Cleveland Scene] There is Greneâs âlightning-quick accordion licksâ [Mountain XPress], a musical attack that is âfiery, fierce and frenetic, and just the ticketâ [Irish Times].

In all, âthe core of The Prodigals' style comes across so distinctly that it might as well be trademarkedâ [Weekly Planet], âindelibly Irishâ [New York Times], making the band âNYCâs jig-punk answer to the Poguesâ [Village Voice] and resulted in the Prodigals topping an Irish Echo readersâ poll above Van Morrison and Sinead OâConnor.

Of eighteen tracks, five are new, recorded specifically for this album. Those tracks clearly show this is a band that has not been content to rest on its laurels. Grene says, âI think the band is at an extraordinary strength right now, the strongest melodically it has ever been. Coincidentally, itâs the only time since the very first album that we have recorded as a five-piece, and itâs an alchemical combination.â

The band currently features Grene on vocals and button accordion; Dave Fahy on vocals and guitar; Darren Maloney on tenor banjo; Ed Kollar on bass; and Chris Higginbottom on drums.

The Prodigals show a unique balance between the continuity of a powerful personal voice, and the avid exploration that has defined the band from the beginning. This album manifests both for all to see.