The Mahones - The Hellfire Club Sessions (1999)

In an effort to rid themselves of incessant Pogues comparisons, the Mahones enlisted the production services of Tragically Hip drummer Johnny Fay. He drew from this band a more consistently muscular sound without sacrificing their penchant for Irish-influenced music. Chief songwriter and lead vocalist Finny McConnell broadened his scope of writing in songs like the Tom Waits-inflected "Cocktail Blue," and the zany "Shake Hands with the Devil," indicate.However, one cannot listen to "Jimmy Claibourne" without imagining a less-inebriated Shane MacGowan singing. While Draggin' the Days and Rise Again concentrated almost solely on Irish-themed music, The Hellfire Club Sessions experiments with acoustic rock, blues and subtle touches of country music. This album would mark the beginning of a stylistic shift for the Mahones which would manifest itself more clearly on 2001's Here Comes Lucky.