“Another Nickel for the Pope” is the new release from ‘The Mighty Regis’, and a damned impressive release it is.
For those unfamiliar with ‘The Mighty Regis,’ (or their debut release, last year’s “County Sligo,”) the band is one of the regular acts at L.A.’s Molly Malones, (of ‘Flogging Molly’ fame,) and one of the first bands on the newly established “Molly Malones Music” digital label.
The Hollywood based ‘The Mighty Regis’ are comprised of accordion, mandolin, bass, drums, two guitars, and an occasional tin whistle divided amongst it’s seven person line-up.
At the leading edge of the band’s sound on this sophomore release is a perfectly balanced blend of guitar, accordion, and mandolin providing the respective height, width and shape of the majority of songs on “Another Nickel…” creating a neatly discernible identity and giving a nice cohesive persona throughout the entire CD. And, although most of the tracks on “Another Nickel…” have a rootsy, folk-punk core, a peek at the traditional underside is offered every now and again, (although nowhere more obvious than in the soulful opening lines of “Danny Boy” with the lead vocals momentarily taken over by the band’s secret weapon, guitarist/whistler/vocalist, Ryan O’Niell)
More mature, relaxed and focused than its 2007 predecessor, the songs on “Another Nickel for the Pope” are really well-written and cruise along at a decent pace, covering a variety of topics lyrically, and provide enough musical variety to keep the disc interesting without sacrificing the band’s “Regis-ness”
For a point of comparison, I would describe the band’s sound as one just about at the midway point between ‘The Mahones’ and ‘Flogging Molly’; and that’s some pretty good company for a band so considerably junior in experience and recording output!
With its 13 tracks and just about 40 minutes of solid music for only 10 bucks, (as of this writing it is available for download through the band’s MySpace, or for a hard copy at CDBaby.com) “Another Nickel for the Pope” is a well-worthwhile purchase, highly recommended and destined for multiple spins and longs stretches in your CD/Mp3 player.
February 2008
Review by Christopher P. Toler, THE Blathering Gommel
Shite'n'Onions 