The Waterboys
Out of All This Blue
(BMG UK Ltd)

Supporting a North American tour starting this month (something The Waterboys haven’t managed here in a long time) the band has just released a new EP, Out Of All This Blue. This four-song collection (the band had a 2017 LP with the same title) is made up of the full version and a demo of the title song and two live tracks, recorded on the Chris Evans Virgin Radio Breakfast Show.

That title track is an organ swirl/electric guitar mid-tempo mover, with horn interplay. The demo is a slower version, with The Waterboys’ main man Mike Scott singing and playing a warbly guitar. “London Mick,” the first live tune, is a straight-ahead rocker tribute to straight-ahead rocker Mick Jones of the Clash.

The EP ends with arguably The Waterboys’ best-known song, and a stark read here from that radio show, “The Whole of the Moon.” Steve Wickham, as always, managed a fun fiddling take in this big dramatic stab in this stripped-down version.

I have always loved the rock/Irish folk/acoustic balladeering/sometimes even slight progressive music mix of this band. Out Of All This Blue proves once again how proficient with a melody, how tight with a tune, and how overall greatly unique The Waterboys still are.