Half Tail,
Wolfstone's followup to their breakthrough
Year of the Dog, essentially repeats the formula of its predecessor, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Wolfstone energizes their Celtic roots with impassioned rock energy, much like how
the Waterboys reshaped Celtic music for their Fisherman's Blues and Room to Roam albums. However, unlike
the Waterboys or
Black 47,
Wolfstone don't abandon Celtic for rock -- they just channel that anthemic passion back into their folk.
Half Tail isn't as consistently enthralling as
Year of the Dog but that's only a relative judgment. On its own terms, it's stellar. ~ Thom Owens