This particular band of musical corvids are notable for their engaging, if uneven, brand of Celtic folk-rock. The Roving Crows are based in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, but at their best they sound like a classic Irish band, especially when fiddler Caitlin Barrett reworks the reel Farewell to Chernobyl, or switches to lead vocals for an epic treatment of Ride On, the Jimmy MacCarthy song that is a part of Christy Moore’s classic repertoire. Barrett is the star on Bury Me Naked, but she is never allowed to dominate the album. Most of the songs are written by singer Paul O’Neill, who is finest on Passing On the Love, a poignant true story that starts as a reggae-edged ballad but ends up, like much of his work, as a furious stomp. They will do well on the festival circuit.
