I was very curious to hear this CD after reading GMM Records description of the band as California’s Dropkick Murphys and while certainly this CD starts off brilliantly, Dropkick style with the eponymous “Whiskey Rebels”, with a punky acoustic intro ala “Boys on the Docks” then bursting into the explosive street punk the DKM’s used to do so well on “Do or Die”. The remaining 15 or so tracks unfortunately don’t reach the high’s of the title track. Don’t get me wrong its good street punk and while similar to early DKM’s (musically & lyrically), if you’re going to claim to be anyone’s answer to the Dropkick Murphys you better hit the target every time, and with the exception of “Whiskey Rebels”, the Whiskey Rebels just miss the mark.

October 2002