''Silver'' is the seventh album by

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

folk punk Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk) is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by the Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in t ...

band

Boiled in Lead Boiled in Lead is a folk-punk/worldbeat band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and founded in 1983. Tim Walters of ''MusicHound Folk'' called the group "the most important folk-rock band to appear since the 1970s." Influential record producer and ...

. The band's first studio album in 13 years, ''Silver'' also marked Boiled in Lead's 25th anniversary. The album also reflected a number of significant lineup changes. It was the band's first studio recording after the return of longtime lead singer Todd Menton, and the addition of guitarist

Dean Magraw Dean Magraw is an American guitarist and composer. Biography Magraw was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in St. Paul. He began playing guitar at the age of 13. Magraw performed in a duo for many years with Peter Ostroushko and has also ...

. Longtime drummer Robin Anders played on ''Silver'' and at the album's live release show, but would leave the group later that year. ''Green Man Review'' writer Chuck Lipsig noted that Menton's presence marked something of a return to the sound of the group's most musically eclectic albums, 1989's ''From the Ladle to the Grave'' and 1990's ''Orb''. The album again featured a strong Celtic flavor but also included Middle Eastern and Algerian influences on songs like "Berber" and "Menfi." The album also includes a cover of "The Sunset," originally performed by

Frankie Kennedy Frankie Kennedy (30 September 1955 – 19 September 1994) was a flute and tin whistle player born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was also the co-founder of the band Altan, formed with his wife Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. The popular '' Frankie ...

and

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Ní Mhaonaigh is recognised as a leading exponent in ...

, co-founders of the Irish folk band

Altan Altan may refer to: * Altan (name) * Altan (company), a software company. * Altan (band), a folk music group from Donegal * ''Altan'' (album), a 1987 album by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy * Altan Jalab, a village in Afghanistan * A ...

, on their 1987 album ''

''.

Critical reception

Critical reception to ''Silver'' was positive. ''Green Man Review'' writer Robert Tilendis praised the album as "something better than good," with a "high level of musicianship and what I can only see as an intense focus." Allmusic's Chris Nickson called the album a strong return to form after a long absence from the studio, and noted that although the band had lost some of its "punk attitude" of 20 years earlier, "older and wiser also translates into more finesse."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2008 albums Boiled in Lead albums Celtic rock albums