Black 47
Released
The debut album from this Celtic folk/punk/hip hop ensemble remains its best, and cleared the ground for similarly-inclined artists like Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly to come along. Today, the Irish rap of “Rockin’ the Bronx” might sound a bit dated, but it sounded much less so in 1991, and it’s still a ton of fun — as are the romantic lament “Funky Ceili” and the adamant “Free Joe Now.” Not to mention the album-closing “Paddy’s Got a Brand New Reel.”