Okay, I know I promised folks a travel review...but I got my copy of Great Big Sea's Sea of No Cares album in the mail on the 28th. How could I keep quiet about my favourite Celtic band?

Sea of No Cares is GBS's fifth studio album - remember that Road Rage was a live album and Rant and Roar was the American debut (that's a total of 7, if you count Sea of No Cares). Now that Great Big Sea is getting more play-time in the States, this is the fourth album readily available south of the border (Canadian border, that is).

This offering is slightly different in tone - even though the light-hearted optimism still reigns. Great Big Sea even remembers to give a handful of traditional tunes, with their distinctive GBS musical stamp on it, of course. In fact, the boys have given their listeners songs of Newfoundland they learned through various people. It's a personal sort of insight for their fan-base since they don't talk much about themselves!

With twelve songs - four of them actually traditional and the rest a smattering of originals and Newfoundland treasures - Great Big Sea seems to be spreading their creative talents onto new levels. For one, Alan Doyle (one of the main singers of GBS) puts one of his usual "song of heartache" with Clearest Indication - but this time, it's not as heart-breaking and has Séan McCann and Chris Trapper (lead vocalist for the band The Push Stars - who has worked with GBS before this) help write this song.

The one song Alan Doyle did write by himself is actually a happy one - Stumblin' In; being grateful for the love in his life, even when he feels like a mess. Well, it's nice to see that Alan's relationship stress has evened itself out...I think. However, Séan McCann picks up the slack and sings Widow in the Window. Despite the cheese-factor**, it's a song that can grow on you - maybe even bring a tear to your eye. It might sound traditional but, again, it's the lyrical trio of Doyle, McCann and Trapper who wrote this one.

Naturally, a GBS album wouldn't be proper if it didn't contain a few boisterous songs - and GBS certainly delivers with Sea of No Cares. Songs like Scolding Wife, A Boat like Gideon Brown and Yarmouth Town (to just name a few) show the boys at their most playful. What's even more entertaining is that some of those more "happy songs" aren't entirely happy in subject matter! Then again, I think those GBS boys are so talented and naturally hyper, they could make a song about leprosy sound fun....

Also, another change in this album is the presence of more instruments. There is still some great harmonies in such songs like A Boat Like Gideon Brown, Sea of No Cares, Penelope and others - but now we have a strange (non-traditional) drum set to start off the album (Sea of No Cares). For Clearest Indication there is an electric guitar intro that I can't associate with anything I've ever heard from Great Big Sea before. It almost feels as though GBS were leaning more toward the pop-genre with Sea of No Cares. There is still enough material on the album to be recogniseably GBS, but you can see an evolution happening.

My only fear is that GBS might fall off that tight-rope they're dancing across. I have always been very thrilled with their talent and music content - but if they lose their distinctively "manic" Celtic feel and go straight into gooey-love-song-pop, it will be disappointing. Though, I think long-time fans of Great Big Sea will not be disappointed with Sea of No Cares in the least - but be prepared to blink a few times when you play the album! Folks who like more upbeat and not so heavy music will definitely enjoy this, too - it will keep you bouncing happily along during your day and lift any blahs you might be feeling.

Great Big Sea are:
Alan Doyle - vocals, guitar, bouzouki
Bob Hallett - vocals, fiddles, tenor banjo, accordions, bouzouki, mandolin, whistles high and low
Séan McCann - vocals, guitar, bodhrán, shakers
Darrell Power - vocals, bass, bones, mandola

Get Sea of No Cares and be happy and carefree! I know this album has cheered me up with the recent onslaught of all this darned Chicago snow. Ick.


15 more days until the GBS concert at the Metro, in Chicago. I have tickets! I have tickets! Wheeeee!!!!

Many, many thanks for reading this GBS-obsessive POV on Sea of No Cares. Somebody make some room in the mosh pit for those wild step-dancers. They stomp! I wonder where I put my tin whistle....

sibhreach - That silly lil' changeling woman


Official Great Big Sea Website
http://www.greatbigsea.com
You can get official news - tour dates and radio info - on here, sound clips of all the albums (except Sea of No Cares at the time of this posting), pictures and other GBS info.

Unofficial Great Big Sea Fan Site
http://www.geocities.com/greatbigsea_alex/
This is a terrific website if you want pictures of the band, lyrics of every GBS album out there, and a smidge more of a bio on each of the boys. Trust me - this is an awesome fan site, even if there are HTML coding errors here and there!


The Tracks:
Sea of No Cares
Penelope
Clearest Indication
Scolding Wife
A Boat Like Gideon Brown
Widow in the Window
French Perfume
Yarmouth Town
Barque in the Harbour
Own True Way
Fortune


** Did you really need an explanation of this? It's cheesy - cute, but oh so cheesy with lyrics like: And he won't be back / Can't you realize that? / And he's laughing at your sorrow // How can I explain / Your love is all in vain / While he wastes your precious hours / I could fill your days with flowers I think that's a cheese-factor of about 8...but that's just me.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Exercising