On many an occasion I've browsed through stacks and racks of Celtic CDs and, finding something which caught my eye for no other reason than a catchy title or good cover art, I'd bring a copy home and discover a real treasure.

That wasn't the case with Wild Mountain Thyme's Scotland Depraved.

OK, perhaps the cover cartoon of a whisky-guzzling Scots piper and a sword-dancing sheep should have warned me of the album's likely high cheese factor, but somehow I decided it must be a cute, funny spoof of an album. Nope. This trio from Wisconsin gives it their best shot, but they're just not very good.

At best, they sound like a group of somewhat drunken friends warbling in a pub at last call. At worst, they sound like they're singing through a veil of pain. I tried very hard to find something about this recording that I could use to recommend it, but the most I could come up with is this: they're enthusiastic. There are occasional hints of some hidden potential but it never manifests for long.

This enthusiastic trio consists of Bill Masino, Kathleen Masino and Gordon Lyons. Each sings and plays an instrument or two. The album includes time-honored (and time-worn) tunes like "Banks of the Lee," "Red is the Rose," "Finnegan's Wake," "Highland Paddy," "Where Are You Tonight?" and "Mountain Dew." I've heard these tunes done well and I've heard them done badly, but never before did I wince while listening.

The album ends, of course, with "Scotland's Depraved," a perverted twist on "Scotland the Brave" that expands on the common Scotsman-and-the-sheep joke. It's funny, once, and this recording doesn't add much to the song's questionable legacy.

If this review hasn't dissuaded you and you still want to check out this band, drop me a line. I have a copy of Scotland Depraved for sale.