I had to do a double take after hearing this CD as I thought the band called River Drivers was actually an Irish folk band from Derry. That’s not far off as the Philadelphia-based quartet is described as an Irish / Americana band that has many connections and a heritage as it relates to Ireland and of course the music from that country. Clearly influenced by music greats including Billy Bragg, Christy Moore as well as Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan, the music on the ten-track 32 minute River Drivers 2019 album Big Oak Road is equally captivating and engaging. The band spotlights the music of Mindy Murray (vocals, guitars, lap steel, bass, banjo) and Kevin McCloskey (vocals, mandolin, guitars, banjo), as well as multi-instrumentalists Meagan Ratini (fiddle, whistles, Irish flute) and Marian Moran (whistles, concertina, melodica, bodhran). The River Drivers features the strong vocals and harmonies of Mindy and Kevin. To these ears Kevin’s robust voice brings to mind the late great Phil Ochs while the subject matter is also quite socially relevant—their lyrics influenced by heartfelt stories portraying the plight of working men and women and their search for social justice. Kevin was also greatly influenced by U.S. and Irish history as well as his performing Irish standards with his father, Irish tenor Tommy McCloskey. Speaking about the message and content of the socially-charged lyrics, Mindy Murray explains, “We really try to perform and record songs that have a purpose other than purely entertainment value. Many of our songs are about hardworking folks and social issues. I wrote two of the songs using verbal history from my Dad about him growing up on Big Oak Road in Bucks County Pennsylvania (“Big Oak Road”) and about his parents losing their farm for back taxes on the eve of the great depression (“Going Once”). “Children's March” was written about Mother Jones as she marched through our hometown to fight against child labor and for the unions. “Si Se Puede” is about the formation of the United Farm Worker's Union and the grape boycott of the late 1960s. “Cumann na mBan” is about the role of the women who fought for Ireland's independence but then were lost to history until quite recently. The other songs, though not originals, were chosen because they reflected many of these same themes… and they are great songs!” The liner notes offers a glimpse into the band’s mindset as they blaze through this strongly socially relevant album. Riveting lyrics, soaring melodies and penetrating vocals separates River Drivers from the wealth of modern day Irish folk music.