Review: The Waterboys

The Waterboys
“Fisherman’s Blues Part Two”
(Razor and Tie)

Thankfully, this band is not a group of Bobby Boucher impersonators, gathered to sing the praises of Captain Insano and “high quality H2O.”  Instead, The Waterboys are an Irish band that produced two purportedly influential albums (“This Is The Sea” and “Fisherman’s Blues”) during the eighties.  I can’t speak to anything that happened in the eighties, since I was busy being in grade school, but I can say that “Fisherman’s Blues Part Two,” which collects songs recorded for but not included on the first “Fisherman’s Blues” album, is pretty good stuff.  Since The Waterboys play what’s best described as folksy Irish rock (think The Saw Doctors) that incorporates influences from blues to gospel, “Fisherman’s Blues Part Two” never really sounds dated, even though most of the material was recorded fifteen years ago.  A few songs come off as contrived- especially “Blues For Your Baby,” which seems like an excuse for a few saxophone riffs from Anthony Thistlethwaite- but for the most part, singer / guitarist and primary songwriter Mike Scott puts on a good show.