Subj: Review of your Crimson Pirates album Date: 1/11/02 7:05:00 PM Eastern Standard Time From:    nqgiven@discover.net (Christine Lampe) To:    Dan35051@aol.com (O'Driscoll, Dan) Dear Dan, Robin and the rest of the Crimson Pirates, The January No Quarter Given issue was mailed out yesterday.  Below is the review I wrote about your album (it's in the Jan. issue).  Hope you like it.  I really liked your album, and enjoyed listening to you guys in Key West.  Good luck on your CD sales.  Let me know if you notice a spike in your sales in the next month or so (it will take a couple of weeks before most of the issues arrive at the subscribers).  Always curious how much impact NQG has. --Jamaica Rose (aka Christine Lampe) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Crimson Pirates ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's well documented that pirates loved music.  They often "forced" musicians to join up with them.  Well, this group would definitely have been forced, for they are good!  Actually, as rowdy as they are, hinted at by their eye-patched parrot logo, forcing would not have been needed.  There is no doubt they would have joined up with the pirates on their own! The Crimson Pirates started out life as a stunt show at the NY Renaissance Faire.  Feeling a need for a warm-up show, they filled the bill with their own singing.  I haven't seen them do their stunt show, but if it's half as good as the singing, it must be quite a show.  They are a beautiful blend of male and female voices with excellent timing (perhaps a result of their stunt training). Their album opens up with "Drunken Sailor".  Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard many a version of this song, -- it’s been overdone.  But I really like this robust version sung by feisty women with attitude and interesting harmonies.  Their harmonies are also evident in the á capella  rendition of the old whaling song "Old Maui".  They toss off several polished versions of typical shanteys -- "Mermaid", "Cape Cod Girls", "Let the Bulgine Run", "Leave Her, Johnny, Leave Her", and many more (this is not a skimpy album, but is filled to the gills with music).  "Haul Away Joe", however, is done in a very full, musical version, not in it's usual á capella shantyman version. Then there's several Irish pub-type songs - the traditional "Holy Ground", "Charlie Mopps" – a tribute to the inventor of beer.  In "Moonshiner Mega-Mix" they've created a rousing & interesting medley that bounces back and forth between several old pub favorites celebrating whiskey, ale & moonshine. Sailor Boy is a sweet melancholy story of a lost love.  They finish off with another haunting, melancholy song, "Wild Mountain Thyme" There's quite a variety in the arrangements.  With several voices, in various combinations, there is quite a wide range in sound -- some are á capella, while guitar, bones and other percussion accompany the rest. For a first effort, this is quite a nice collection, well worth "forcing" onto your own crew. To get the CD, send $17.00 (U.S) payable to:  The Crimson Pirates. Send your remittance to: Dan O’Driscoll, 350 West 51st St., #3A, New York, N.Y.  10019  - Website:  www.crimsonpirates.com  (--reviewed by C.Lampe)