With sleeve art that recalls Dylan’s Basement Tapes, Shannon’s latest offering comes in the wake of ‘Galway Girl’ arguably the biggest hit of her career. With a huge cast of guests, including Shane MacGowan, Imelda May, Jerry Fish, Carol Keogh (Autamata), and Justin Adams from Robert Plant’s band, Saint’s & Scoundrels is riot of good-time tunes.
Imelda May wrote ‘Go Tell The Devil’ especially for this project – it’s the best New Orleans rockabilly meets Galway pub session you’ll ever hear. Jerry Fish brings a carnival atmosphere to ‘Let’s Drink For Once Dead’; ‘Mama Lou’, a Cajun flavoured romp, features the hitherto unfamiliar but brilliant Cartoon Twins on vocals. And Shane MacGowan is in flying form throughout. ‘Saints & Angels’ was written by Waterboy Mike Scott, and originally intended for inclusion on the seminal Fisherman’s Blues but never made the album. It’s just one of the many highlights on this latest installment from the unstoppable force that is Sharon Shannon.