Street Dogs - State of Grace

The Street Dog's State of Grace is their fourth full length release, and first on Hellcat. For those of you who have yet to discover the Street Dogs they are one of the most amazing live bands you will ever get to see. A lot of this is due to the energy of front man Mike McColgan who never disappoints on stage. Unfortunately the energy and charisma of this band rarely can be contained on a shiny plastic disc. While "State of Grace" has its moments it has not met the high expectations I held for the band who finally had the opportunity to release their music on a label like Hellcat. My anticipation and expectations further heightened with their release of the album's single "Two Angry Kids," an uptempo song telling the story of Mike and a former band mate (whose name will be withheld because even if the Street Dogs refuse to try and distance themselves from the past I will), their battle with addiction, and their salvation through music. The song is unlike anything they had previously released, almost had a hip-hop feel to its rhythm and showcased the stellar drum work of Paul Rucker. Upon receiving the album I was treated to the first track "Mean Fist" a Savin Hill style rocker that met my hopes and expectations for the band. That was where it stopped though. The rest of the album proved to be rather formulaic with obligatory Irish, Boston, and tribute to fallen friend themes. If you are not of the mindset that the Irish Punk song is at the end of its rope you haven't made it to the track "San Patricios" a song heralding the treasonous mercenaries known as Saint Patrick's Brigade, complete with mariachi guitars and authentic Spanish voice over. One can only guess that the well had run dry and the band had to turn to Wikipedia and Google to find a topic for their Irish-pride anthem. The album isn't all bad, but it did not live up to expectations; if you are satisfied with an album that continues the band's status-quo and keeps them in the shadow then you'll disagree wholeheartedly with my assessment, however if you are looking for growth form a band that has the pieces and potential to be the next big thing, then this release will seem lack-luster at best.