Room to Roam

Personnel: Mike Scott (vocals, guitar, piano); Steve Wickham (vocals, fiddle, organ); Anthony Thistlethwaite (mandolin, saxophone); Sharon Shannon (fiddle, accordion); Colin Blakey (whistle, flute, piano, organ); Trevor Hutchinson (bouzouki, bass); Noel Bridgeman (drums, percussion, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Kieran Wilde (clarinet); Roddy Lorimer (trumpet); Neil Sidwell (trombone); Barry Beckett (piano); Ken Samson (didgeridoo); Seamus Begley, Eileen Begley, John Burke, Diarmuid O'Suilleabhan (background vocals).
Recorded at Spiddal House, Spiddal, County Galway, Ireland.
If one were to divide the Waterboys' career into three parts, ROOM TO ROAM would fall at the end of the middle Irish folk segment. The Waterboys' Scots main man Mike Scott's love for Ireland is expressed in each song--the clearest example being "Islandman." Scott's band includes long-time partner Anthony Thistlewaite, accordion player Sharon Shannon, and renowned fiddler Steve Wickham, who really comes into his own here, contributing his touching "Upon the Wind and Waves."
Notable are a lively take on "The Raggle Taggle Gypsy," "Spring Comes to Spiddal," a spectacularly sprightly ode to the town the album was recorded in, and "Further Up, Further In," a gorgeously catchy song that sets Scott's lyrics to a traditional folk song. Also noteworthy are a pair of beautiful love songs, "A Man in Love" and "How Long Will I Love You?," both of which are sincere enough to make listeners feel they're eavesdropping on a private moment.