Did we really need another version of "Black is the Color"? Maybe not ... although when Maggie Drennon begins singing this oh-so traditional ballad, I'm willing to give it a listen for vocal quality alone. The fingerpicked guitar and cymbal flairs are subtle touches which don't distract one wit from the voice. And then the band kicks in and turns "Black" into a rock anthem.

Unabridged is something of a vanity album for SixMileBridge. Unlike the high polish of No Reason, this earlier release described by the band as a "veritable hodge-podge" of live and studio tracks thrown together for the purposes of this semi-live CD. And, call me crazy, but it's the unpolished feel of this disc which makes it fun.

OK, so Wolf Loescher's bagpipes go a bit sloppy midway through "Scotland Uber Alles" ... but hey, any time a pipe set begins with Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," you gotta cut the piper some slack.

Sure, Drennon's nigh-perfect voice cracks -- yes, cracks! -- for one brief, shocking moment in "Arthur McBride," a fun song of failed recruitment. I might even have heard a slight fiddle flub on the "Katie's Visit to San Francisco/Full-Rigged Ship" set, but don't quote me on that.

Yeah, the "Tyrone" dialogue preceding the band's cover of More Power to Your Elbow's "Back to Tyrone" wears thin after the first dozen or so replays -- but, then again, I've listened to it that many times for a reason. SixMileBridge's electric rendition does 'em proud, "yee-ha!" notwithstanding.

But these glitches and goofs add to the live feel, reminding those of us fortunate enough to have seen 6MB live that, hey, these guys are fun. And there's some fine music here, too.

"Generations of Change" is a story of lost traditions, as sons stop following in their father's footsteps. Loescher sings lead with the appropriate melancholy air; Drennon's fiddle and backing vocals on the choruses adds sweetness to the low-tech mix. Drennon resumes the lead for "The Boys of Barr na Sraide," providing a perfect touch to the lovely song about carefree boys who too soon became men faced with harsh realities.

Loescher gives a nice touch to Brendan Behan's "The Auld Triangle," sung a capella and boasting great vocal harmonies in the chorus. Then Drennon knocks 'em all dead with "Road to Glory," which sounds like it's become her personal -- or perhaps the band's communal -- anthem. Drennon's vocals mix honey and vinegar for this strong, defiantly optimistic song. Another personal favorite is "Oro Se Do Bhatha Abhaille," a bitter song about the lack of jobs in Ireland -- I've only ever heard this one in Gaelic before, so the English lyrics finally shed light for me on its meaning. (The chorus is still two-thirds Gaelic, which makes for a nice switch when the band belts out the final line: "But find us some bloody work there!"

Loescher injects the proper degree of rage into "Another Man's Cause," a bitter song about lives lost in senseless conflicts. Drennon's repetitive fiddle line adds a surprising amount of needed tension to the song; only a bit of awkwardness in the lines of the chorus mar an otherwise grand track.

A "hidden" track at the end provides a rollicking cover of Christine Lavin's "Artificial Means," a giggle-inducing song about the importance of sex toys to a young couple's love life. It doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album, but who cares? Did I mention these guys are FUN?

There's no doubt Drennon and Loescher dominate the recording, although the support provided by Anders Johansson (guitar, bass and vocals) and Frances "We've got cake!" Newton (bouzouki, mandolin, guitar and vocals) cannot be overlooked. Without them, the album would clearly fall flat. And, while Unabridged is clearly a rough-cut album, fans of SixMileBridge have got to have this on their shelves.