Salty Walt and the Rattlin' Ratlines is a group made up of seasoned performers who have worked with groups such as the Seadogs and Dogs in Doublets. But don't let their pasts overshadow their present...these guys stand alone and do it well.

"Clinker Built", the first offering from this group is a five track EP containing "Henry Martin", "Ambletown", "Hieland Laddie", "Wings of a Goney", and "Blow the Man Down".

"Henry Martin", starts off with crisp mandolin and is a pleasant arrangement of this fairly well known song. Salty Walt and co. really get the most of their group in this number, filling things out so well that you'd not think that they are a quartet.  No studio tricks and layering, just a fine arrangement. That's pretty refreshing.

"Ambletown" is listed as a "wistful song", but that doesn't really come close to describing the power in this simple arrangement. Haunting would be a far better description. I've heard numerous versions of this tune and this is certainly one of my favorites.

"Hieland Laddie" is an a cappella shanty done with a driving cadence. While not the most traditional arrangement, the song certainly gains a cross-genre appeal (not everyone is a fan of shanties after all) with this more complex arrangement. 

"Wings of a Goney", the song described on the CD as "haunting", is another a cappella offering. This is the only song on the CD that I wasn't already familiar with from elsewhere and it make for an interesting listen. A song about the trials of being a whaler, it is certainly worth a listen.

"Blow the Man Down". Wow, what a departure from the rest of the album. The song, while rich, full and polished, just doesn't seem to fit in with this CD. As a stand alone song it is certainly a rollicking sing-a-long version and it is one song that virtually everyone has heard (at least in passing). But placed, as it is, directly after "Wings of a Goney" it is a surprise and almost shocking. While I'm sure this is awesomely fun live, it just doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the EP.

The CD is available from CD Army for $7, a nice price for a great little CD. My only only complaint is one of aesthetics. I'm not a big fan of CDs in slimline cases, but I can make do. I'm also a really big fan of album and CD art and this CD is a  barebones CD-R without a label. While that is a bit of a disappointment it certainly didn't lessen my enjoyment of the CD itself.