With veteran players of the calibre of Norman Teeling, Pat Henry, Wayne Sheehy and James Delaney on board, it’ll come as little surprise to anyone that Crushed Rose are strictly old-school in approach.

In fact, they come across as the kind of band you might have found on the pub rock scene of late ’70s Dublin: the playing is never less than rock solid and entertaining. Bluesy, jazzy and well-arranged, ‘Walk In The Shadows’ isn’t a million miles away from Van’s ‘Moondance’ in spirit while ‘Downtown City Blues’ recalls early Dire Straits with a touch of the soulful funkiness of the Average White Band.
‘Kiowa’ leans more towards prog-rock of the Mike Oldfield variety, while ethereal and impressionistic textures underpin the title track. Elsewhere, blues-based cuts like ‘Gotta Get Your Mind Right’ and ‘Life Ain’t Gonna Get You’ bring things right back to the sound of the smoke-filled venues of yore.
Worth hearing.