Mahones “Take No Prisoners”
Album Reviews | Nov 30th, 2006
Record Label: Stumble Records
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Well it’s certainly been a long time since The Mahones recorded some new music, but they are back again and this time they got some help! Not like they needed it but it’s always nice to have some special guests on your album. Some of the guest musicians include people from The Dropkick Murphys, Billy Talent, Barenaked Ladies, Brass Knuckle Therapy, The Mad Bastards and Damhnait Doyle from the Canadian pop group, Shaye. Man, those women are freakin’ hot!! But anyway, let me try to control my hormones and tell you about this new Mahones album. If you don’t know who the Mahones are, they are a Canadian Celtic punk band from Ontario that have been around since the early 90s.
What makes the Mahones stand out from other Celtic bands? It could be the vocals of Finny or his songwriting or perhaps the band just sounds great overall. “Take No Prisoners” is a good song to open the album with but I like the second track “The Amsterdam Song” better. The first four songs are just rockin’ and very catchy. The band does a few covers on this album as well like “Nancy Whiskey” and “Whiskey in the Jar.” I’ve heard many different versions of those songs and it’s cool to hear the Mahones’ take on them. I’m sure they are a hit when the Mahones play them at the clubs. One thing that I love about the Mahones is that their slower songs are just as good as their faster, punkier ones. For the song “A Little Bit of Love,” Finny has a nice duet with one of the babes of Shaye. It starts off a little slow and then picks up quite nicely. It makes you want to grab a girl’s hand and start dancing around the room with her. Or at least I think of that when I hear that song. Some singers try to sing slow songs and their voices just don’t fit the style But thankfully Finny has the right voice to sing some slow tunes. I can just picture him singing in some dark smoky club, singing about Priceline.com. Oh wait that’s William Shatner. The only track I didn’t really like was “The Weight of the World;” I’m just not a fan of that old school microphone, where it sounds like you’re singing underwater. I guess I can’t like every song ya know? I’m not sure which song is my favorite but it might be a toss up between “Out Of Control” and “A Little Bit of Love.”
To conclude, “Take No Prisoners” isn’t their best album but it’s still good nonetheless. If you enjoyed their other albums, you’ll probably like this one as well. I just wish the band would come and play New York already, then I’ll be a happy guy!
Bottom Line: After 5 years without a new album, the Mahones are back and hopefully will continue to make more albums!
Notable Tracks: The Amsterdam Song, Out of Control, Nancy Whiskey, A Little Bit of Love, Night Train To Paris
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