Chicago: "The Heart Of Chicago 1967 1997" (Reprise)
This collection of Chicago's love songs, smoochy ballads and romantic soft-rock tunes is a rather mixed bag, reaching back to early tunes such as Make Me Smile, and coming up to speed with the recent Lenny Kravitz-produced The Only One. Promince is given to 1980s hits such as You're The Inspiration, Hard Habit To Break and Hard To Say I'm Sorry, but their 1976 Number One, If You Leave Me Now, will probably inspire the most nostalgia. The vintage Chicago sound of Colour My World and Beginnings is preferable to the blandness of their later output, but this collection could do with a little less heart and a lot more soul. Strictly for Wet Wet Wet fans and boy bands looking for songs to cover.
By Kevin Courtney
Gangsters: "A New Beginning" (Beatsville Records)
Dublin's answer to The Specials, or just another bunch of bad-mannered rude boys? Certainly the Gangsters take no prisoners, wielding their arsenal of saxes, trombones, guitars, bass, keyboards and drums with the accuracy of marksmen. Songs such as Al Capone, The Hitman and Jamaican Shuffle skank along with heavy monster style, conjuring up the golden era of Two-Tone. Cardboard City, Mistaken Identity and Easy Life display the requisite social conscience, while Rude Boyz echoes the anti-violence message in The Specials' Ghosttown, but although there are moments of sheer Madness in Gangsta Ska, there's too much of the po-faced revivalist and not enough of the nutty boy in singer Patrick Colton's delivery.
By Kevin Courtney
Various Artists: "Origin: to boldly go . . . " (Origin Records)
Galway broadcaster Jon Richards believes that the City of Tribes is a hotbed of original rock talent, so he has decided to start his own label through which he can showcase unsigned local acts and gain them some exposure outside of their home town. All very laudable, but perhaps rather naive; despite its daredevil title, this album slides down the well-trodden mud paths of folksy pop and crusty rock'n'roll, and none of the eight featured acts seem to possess that X factor which could bring them further along the road to stardom. Bands such as Guava, Charis, Safu and Obskure come off worst, displaying a dearth of ideas and a notable absence of originality; solo singers Ruth Dillon, Mark McConville and Sarah Lynch fare better, simply because they seem to actually have something to say in their lyrics.
By Kevin Courtney
