I just had a listen to this. Very disappointed. Before anyone jumps to conclusions, I wasn't expecting this to be a trad album, or a reflection of pirate or sailor songs. No, I was expecting an album of songs relating to the sea being given a fresh, or just fun, treatment. It's just not a very good album, by any standard, or any genre.


Disc one:

"Cape Cod Girls," Baby Gramps - didn't work for me one bit.
"Mingulay Boat Song," Richard Thompson - a hoary old chestnut, but props to Richard Thompson for his performance.
"My Son John," John C. Reilly - ok-ish.
"Fire Down Below," Nick Cave - Well, it sucked. No surprise here.
"Turkish Revelry," Loudon Wainwright III - alright, nothing brilliant.
"Bully In The Alley," Three Pruned Men - sounds like a parody of something.
"The Cruel Ship's Captain," Bryan Ferry - just alright.
"Dead Horse," Robin Holcomb - nothing to write home about.
"High Barbary," Joseph Arthur - nearly worked, but fell on it's face.
"Dan Dan," David Thomas - simply put, it sucked.
"Blood Red Roses," Sting - very fun!
"Sally Brown," Teddy Thompson - listenable.
"Lowlands Away," Rufus Wainwright & Kate McGarrigle - I enjoy their duets and this didn't disappoint.
"Baltimore Whores," Gavin Friday - eh, ???
"Rolling Sea," Eliza Carthy - loved this one and don't mind the backup much.
"The Mermaid," Martin Carthy & the UK Group - a decent performance.
"Haul On The Bowline," Bob Neuwirth - not bad at all.
"Dying Sailor to His Shipmates," Bono - disapointing.
"Bonnie Portmore," Lucinda Williams - decent.
"Shenandoah," Richard Greene & Jack Sh*t - a nice instrumental, but I wish it had vocals.
"The Cry Of Man," Mary Margaret O'Hara - dull and dreary.

Disc two:

"Boney Was a Warrior," Jack Sh*t - not sure if I like this one or not.
"Good Ship Venus," Loudon Wainwright III - Maybe I'm being prudish, but simply unlistenable.
"Long Time Ago," White Magic - feels like a long time whenver you listen.
"Pinery Boy," Nick Cave - This one sucked, but I wasn't expecting much from Nick Cave.
"Lowlands Low," Bryan Ferry with Antony - it's ok.
"One Spring Morning," Akron - decent.
"Hog Eye Man," Martin Carthy & family - fun.
"The Fiddler/A Drop of Nelson's Blood," Ricky Jay & Richard Greene - was alright until he opened his mouth.
"Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold," Andrea Corr - decent enough.
"Fathom The Bowl," John C. Reilly - nah.
"Drunken Sailor," David Thomas - the lousiest track of the whole album. Excruciating. Sounds like somebody was recording an utter souse from the far end of the street.
"Farewell Nancy," Ed Harcourt - verdict's still out.
"Hanging Johnny," Stan Ridgway - not bad.
"Old Man of The Sea," Baby Gramps - like the other Baby Gramps tracks, it sucked.
"Greenland Whale Fisheries," Van Dyke Parks - listenable.
"Shallow Brown," Sting - not bad.
"The Grey Funnel Line," Jolie Holland - really didn't work for me.
"A Drop of Nelson's Blood," Jarvis Cocker - nothing special.
"Leave Her Johnny," Lou Reed - ugh.
"Little Boy Billy," Ralph Steadman - feels as if Peter Sellers ought to have been singing.