Tribal (Deluxe Version)

Tribal (Deluxe Version)

For her fourth studio album, Irish singer Imelda May turns up the manic energy and fires up the band to play with equal intensity. Her husband and creative partner, guitarist Darrel Higham, throws out wild rockabilly riffs that’s led songs like the title track, “Wild Woman,” and “It’s Good to Be Alive” to receive comparisons to The Cramps, The B-52s, and Bow Wow Wow. Not bad company, for sure. At the times when a ballad is called for (“Gypsy in Me,” “Little Pixie”), May sings with strong emotion and the guitar licks remain good and greasy. Much credit goes to producer Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys), who ramps up the compression and ‘50s-style tape echo for a perfect modern-retro ratio. May might insist on a visual impact as striking as the band’s music, but clearly music comes first. Few artists pack her conceptual wallop. The album's deluxe version adds three bonus cuts, including an excellent voice-and-ukulele version of Blondie’s “Dreaming.”

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