Album Review: Sail Into The Wind

Sail Into The Wind is the second studio album from Master Bones Jangle and the Voodoo Island Cannibals and the first since Lots O’ Booty which was released in 2011. Since then Bones has been all over the place but seems to have settled back down in Texas and the band has performing more than they ever have. This is evident on this album as half the album are live recordings.

We begin the album with “Funeral Dirge” which confirms something for me. For awhile I have thought of Bones as the pirate version of Voltaire, and this song sort of cements that thought in my head. Excellent lyrics, fantastic violin playing, flute is an especially nice touch. Levels may be a bit off as they are at the same level of the singing and fight with it at times. There are schools of thought that you start an album with the best song on the album. With that school of though this is an excellent song choice to start the album.

“Fish In The Sea” has become quite popular with Bones fans and it is easy to tell why. I love the music of the song, it just makes you want to sway too and fro. The interesting bit here is the chorus is longer than the versus, not something you normally see in a song, which gives it an odd feeling. This falls on that borderline bawdy song that I have a liking for, see our review of Pat Razket‘s last album. The song however is a set of scenes not exactly a story so it holds back a bit for me. Still a very solid song, just missing something for that top score.

The third song, “Rats of New Orleans” has a unique sound for a pirate song start and I always appreciate uniqueness. In my opinion there are not enough songs are about New Orleans in the pirate community, especially considering its history, so this is a welcome addition. Again I find the levels of vocals fight with the instruments on this as the violin and flute are again prevalent. However by having them be so it gives them a distinct sound in the pirate community and could be the band’s decision. I can only assume this is a personal song for Bones after having lived in Nawlins for a few years. Having a personal song like this is almost rare in a pirate album and should be commended.

Now this is a different take on “The Derelict” from their last album and it gives you that 50s/60s jazz(?) feel to it. All I know is it reminds me of the old Tom and Jerry sound, you know when the owners were having parties or those type scenes. You know, almost Vince Guaraldi style jazz. This is similar to how Tom Mason played with some of his songs on Pirate Party. This song has been done by essentially every pirate band at one point or another so it is always nice to see a new take on an old classic.

“Lots O’Booty” was the title song of their first album and this is another re-working, similar to “The Derelict”. “Booty” is arguably his most popular song and this rendition adds in the new instruments that the band now has at their disposal. The flute is the big change in the song and is the featured instrument in this number. There’s some new vocals and chorus to add to the song so it is not just the melody that has changed, but the biggest changes are the flute and violin.

With “Jack-A-Roe” we enter into the live version of the album. The violin and flute instrumental at the start of the song gives it a good break from the recorded to live portion of the album. You can tell how they play live is essentially the same as the studio version, so what you hear on an album is what you get in person. That is always welcome in a band, especially in the age where the two don’t always do. Great story on this song, a more traditional feel than the previous songs. I do wish there was a recorded version as I’m not sure the live version does it enough justice.

I appreciate it when we get a newer version of classics, which is what we have with “Leaving of Liverpool”. It’s not the arrangement as much as the tempo of the song that is altered. Liverpool tends to be a beat of two slower for most bands so it’s nice to see something new. Maybe we’ve been in Texas too long but I think you could two step to this version of Liverpool. Which I may actually test since I do see Bones do this song quite regularly. What is becoming clear though, I think I’m enjoying the levels on the live recordings more than the studio, which is a bit rare.

I enjoy the build up to the lyrics on “Jolly Roger”, it gives you that anticipation for the song. It is a solid version of the song, though with Bones singing this with Cannibals versus Bedlam it does feel a bit off as he’s the only one singing. This is not a knock on the song, I’m just used to hearing others singing along with him. With this being a live recording I am missing a bit of that crowd reaction which I think adds that additional flavor on live recordings.

If this was a meal “Baby Vulture” would be the cleanser between courses. A nice little instrumental bit featuring the violin. I really dig what I’m hearing from the drums on this song as well. The placement may be a bit off coming so late on the album. I think I may have made this the song the was the divider between recorder and live, but as always that’s a personal taste.

Now “Johnny Jump Up” is a live version of a song from the last album, with a slight tweek with the violin and flute portions. It is nice to see live recordings that show how songs have changed as the band’s lineup has changed over the years. The song sounds like what we’ve come to expect; sadly it also falls into the live recording trap of picking up conversation that isn’t part of the song.

As a big fan of the original song I have to say I do enjoy the Bones version of “Billy Bones”. I’m not sure if it’s the title but Bones’ performance always goes up during this song. Bonus to this recording you finally hear the audience singing along if ever so faintly. The change with the flute is…interesting. The playing is fantastic just not sure about it. Takes me out a bit, or maybe I’m just so used to this song that the change jolted me a bit. A solid end for the album as I think this is the best live recording on the album.

Overall this is a solid album from Master Bones Jangle and the Voodoo Island Cannibals. I think some of the technical aspects of the album brought it down for me, but nothing too drastic. It could also be a case of seeing them too many times live and doing a compare and contrast subconsciously. It is still worthy of your money and will definitely have you singing along.