With or Without the Irish Rovers, Will Millar's a Keeper

Back in seventh grade, I was thrilled to receive tickets to see the Irish Rovers, whose Tales to Warm Your Mind was one of the most cherished albums of my childhood. I didn’t know they were still touring; nobody I talked to had ever even heard of them. But I couldn’t wait to go see them. I was a little disappointed when I went that not a single song from that album was included in the set list, but there were plenty of other wonderful songs that I soon grew to love. One of them was The Keeper, which they announced would be on Will Millar’s upcoming solo album of the same name. The gregarious Will did most of the talking for the band and seemed to take the lead in everything, so I took him to be the leader; I only recently found out that the band was actually formed by his brother George. At any rate, Will was my favorite of the group and his contribution to it was certainly substantial, so I was sorry to hear that he would be leaving but looked forward to the album. As it turned out, he didn’t leave for a while; when I saw them again the next year, Will was still there. But the next time they came through Erie, he had officially embarked upon his solo career.

The Keeper, like Millar’s other post-Rovers album A Lark in the Clear Aire, features most of the Rovers, so there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood between them. And, as I said, they performed the title song at their concert. Unfortunately, the album is hard to come by; I ordered it online when he first released it, and I’ve never seen it in the stores. You’d have to do a bit of hunting to find it, but it’s worth the effort. Unlike Lark, this is not a particularly Irish album. Millar has always had a special fondness for children, and that affection comes out in this album for the younger set. As far as I know, only three of the song’s tracks - The Unicorn (the focal point of the album’s fanciful cover), Bog Down in the Valley-O, and Biplane Evermore - appeared on Rovers albums. But many of the tracks have an Irish feel to them thanks to the instruments and the accents of Will and the other vocalists. Just as prominent are the environmentalist and pacifist themes that run through the album.

Just a Little Bitty Ball - This song focuses both on environmental and pacifist concerns. The primary consideration is the preservation of the Earth, but one verse is dedicated to a desire for people to get along and stop hurting one another. A nice way to start off the album.

The Tree Planting Song - This song also incorporates both themes, starting with the idea of planting trees but focusing mostly on making friends and spreading love. The song has a very simple structure and sort of a country feel to it; it’s one of the least Irish-sounding songs on the album but has a great message: “When you give away the gift of love, it comes back sevenfold.”

The Keeper - This title track is probably the prettiest song on the album, with its heavy doses of the tin whistle lending the tune a haunting quality. The song goes along with The Unicorn in that God entreats humans to protect his creatures, and they fail to do the job. While The Unicorn is a whimsical song that attempts to place unicorns into natural history and then explain their disappearance, The Keeper has much darker, prophetic undertones. It reminds listeners that humans were charged with the care of the rest of creation, and we haven’t been doing a very good job. If we’re not careful, we could wind up with a scenario like this one... “After many years had passed the Lord came back to see the Earth and His creations He’d left so fine and free. ‘But where are all my silver streams, the forests dark and green?’ There was only dust and desert where humankind had been.”

Waltzing with Bears - This is silly old folk song about a guy who gets his jollies from sneaking out at night to waltz with bears. A fun and affectionate song.

Windy Old Weather - Will is joined here by a chorus of children in another rather goofy song in which a variety of sea creatures warn the speaker to turn around and get away from the impending bad weather. “In this windy old weather, stormy old weather, when the wind blows we’ll all pull together.”

Hey li le li le lo - The kids join Will again for a mostly nonsensical song that plays around with the story of Noah’s ark amidst many repetitions of the title. The tune provides a nice transition into the next song, the Rovers’ signature song and a great fit for this album.

The Unicorn - The Rovers’ classic musical adaptation of one of Shel Silverstein’s best-loved poems. The song takes liberties with Noah’s story, inserting the mythical unicorn into the equation as the loveliest of God’s creatures and the one He most wants to protect. It’s a light-hearted tale with a tragic twist; the unicorn are so busy goofing around that they miss the boat, and that’s why we never see them today. “You’ll see green alligators and long-necked geese, some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees, some catsandratsandelephants, but sure as you’re born, you’re never gonna see no unicorn.”

If We Try - A nice Celtic-flavored song about teamwork and cooperation.

A Place in the Choir - The old Bible School standby. This was always my favorite Bible School song, along with Rise and Shine (“The Arky Arky Song”), which was hilariously revisited by Ned Flanders on The Simpsons and would have fit in perfectly with this album. Given the choice, I would have included it instead of Hey li le li le lo, but that one was good too. At any rate, this is another song about appreciating one another, using the entertaining imagery of a wide variety of animals singing in their own unique way. “All God’s critters got a place in the choir. Some sing low, some sing higher, some sing out loud on the telephone wire...”

Sailing on the Bay - This song reflects Will’s love of the nautical, a subject he explores in depth in his book Messing About in Boats. A nice peaceful song that ends in an environmental message.

Bog Down in the Valley-O - This song is a hoot in concert, and a great one for campfires and other types of singalong occasions. It’s one of those songs that doesn’t really have a point but that builds upon itself, challenging you to both remember all the steps and not run out of breath. By the end of the song, Will’s going so fast he can barely keep up with himself.

Biplane Evermore - I fell in love with this charming little tune when I first heard it on one of the Rovers’ early albums. The song, reminiscent of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, has a gentle lullabye feel to it and encourages children not to give up on their dreams even if those around them discourage them.

Reel in the Flickering Light - A fun song about a strange array of creatures who spend the evening dancing a jolly reel together. A nice song to go off to dreamland with.

All in all, a terrific album. I would particularly recommend it for children, but there are several tracks here that adults would likely enjoy a great deal as well. Will Millar is a fantastic entertainer, and this album is a great manifestation both of his talent and his compassionate sensibilities.