Fleadh cowboys The Fleadh (pronounced Flaa) cowboys were formed in 1985 by legendary folk musician Johnny Moynihan with Pete Cummins and Frank Lane. In the late eighties and the nineties they took Dublin by storm with their Midnight at the Olympia shows, attracting major guest artists such as Mike Scott, Shane McGowen, Joe Ely, Nanci Griffith, Roger McGough, Hothouse Flowers, Ronnie Drew, and many more who literally queued up to play with the band. They toured extensively with "The Pouges" supported U2, Emmylou Harris, and Bob Dylan, who after hearing their first album offered to release them on his own Record label. Time of your life, is their second album released on their own Sidekick Records label. Reviews. The fleadh cowboys have a strong sense of mission, but this latest collection finds them stretching out and beyond their stock and trade. There is an eclectic range of styles on show, from Frankie Lane`s warm waltz, Mind The Gap, to Paul Kelly`s Caribbean instrumental Up Yeboah, an instrumental brother to a sizzling version of Bill Monroe`s Jerusalem Ridge and on to the typical homour of "I Lied To You". Fine production and powerful vocals mixed with excellent songwriting and the playing is as ever a pleasure to behold. THE IRISH TIMES. The Cowboys ability to recreate a variety of blues (Long Time Dead) to Hillibilly (Looking For the Magic) should not be underestimated. It's an authentic and genuine facility which they distil expertly and without any academic aridity. One of the more ambitious songs is "Time" the theme of which could be said to sum up Fleadh Cowboys' collective Weltanschaaung. Essentially it argues that we need to make more time for the things that matter, like the love of a woman. Meanwhile you can dance and enjoy some pints to the sophisticated sh*t-kicking on the outstanding instrumental 'Jerusalem Ridge'. Or you can laugh as you digest the dark wisdom of the witty, respectful send up 'Breakfast With Leonard' (Cohen of course). Time of your life is outlaw music and good fun at the same time. Appropriately enough after pucks of truthful American roots music it ends with a traditional arrangement 'Pol Ha'penny/While Roving Out'. The link is made. The Fleadh Cowboys' heart is in the right place................. HOT PRESS The Fleadh Cowboys blazed a trail through Ireland in the 80`s and 90`s with a compulsive live show and a fiery blend of country, rock, and blues. Now comes their second album after a long hiatus entitled 'Time Of Your Life'. The time off has benefited the Cowboys, as their eclectic influences now lie more comfortably side by side and a more pronounced realisation of their true sound emerges. Frankie Lane's assimilation of Irish traditional music (on dobro) yields wonderful rewards on Pol Ha'penny and Jerusalem Ridge gets a real dusting down. Pete Cummins's razor sharp observations permeate through the wistful 'Breakfast with Leonard' and 'Time' while Lane's 'Idle Time' reveals a precious gem - his laconic vocals suiting the inherent decadence. 'Time of Your Life' sees a band reborn delighting in the experience of making music both wide-ranging and unique. ROCK AND REEL It's been a long time coming but here it is at last! New C.D. from the Fleadhs. Pete Cummins, Frankie Lane, Paul Kelly and the rest of the gang serve up a helping of their own style of country which is unlike any other band around today. Their musicianship is on par if not better than any of the new U.S. bands. With original tracks ranging from country rock through bluegrass to straight ballads and back again and a Bill Monroe cover of 'Jerusalem Ridge'. This is a great value C.D. from a great Irish band. IRISH MUSIC Alex Moffet finds this album is a long way from Larry Cunnigham, it's so good it's real country. Fleadh Cowboys have now been in existence for thirteen years. They have worked with eminent musicians such as Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith (listen to Pete Cummins singing 'From Clare to Here' on 'Other Voices Other Rooms) but somehow large scale success has always escaped them (maybe the like it that way) Of course commercial success is no gauge of quality and their latest album is excellent - loose and rambling at times but full of great music and instrumental virtuosity. Stylistically, it's the usual mix of country, rock, and folk elements, with country at the forefront. There are some fine new songs such as Frankie Lane's 'Idle Time' and 'Mind The Gap' or Pete Cummins's wryly humorous 'Breakfast with Leonard' (which I presume is about Leonard Cohen). But best of all is the blistering country tune 'I Lied to You' complete with deadpan vocals and a wonderful fiddle solo by Paul Kelly. Elsewhere Frankie Lane's dobro takes a central (notably on the Bill Monroe tune Jerusalem Ridge) and Paul Kelly also contributes some fine mandolin playing. Single Review. (Included on C.D.) ' I lied toYou' starts off with some manic bursts of fiddle before the mock Texan accent comes into play. The lyrics are great and the Cowboys whip up a storm of honky-tonk heaven, which sounds not unlike Alabama 3 without the backbeats. " I lied when I said that I was big in Nashville/Had one of my songs recorded by Emmylou/I even lied when you asked about the royalties/But if you told one lie then you're gonna have to tell two" Yee, and indeed ha. HOT PRESS _