When Shane MacGowan formed the Popes to record his album “The Snake” in 1994 after leaving the Pogues, very few of his fans thought they would ever hear from that band again after that tour concluded.

But the band is as tough as the brutal Celtic punk rock it dishes out onstage, and their new “Outlaw Heaven” release proves it.

Paul (Mad Dog) McGuinness on vocals and guitars (Paul originally played with the Pogues) corrals a group of swashbuckling cowboys to make an outlaw album that is spotty at best.

It starts out promising enough, with a sultry bass line and jerky percussion transforming the chestnut “Black Is the Color.”

“Raw” follows the same vibe, with McGuinness’ raspy voice spitting out raps with a thick Dubliner’s tongue that can’t get out of its own way. “Raw, that’s the way that I feel/raw, that’s what I am,” he snarls.”

Unfortunately, things go downhill from there.

“Crucified” is a complete mess, with screams and guitars giving way to a middling ballad and absurd production. “Shine” tries to be an alt rock ditty that melts down into this faux Elvis chorus that is puzzling at best.

“Don’t let the bastards grind you down,” they warn on “Bastards,” one of the brighter spots on the album where they actually break out a fiddle and revert back to the Paddy punks we knew and loved. Those moments, sadly, are few and far between.

It’s with heavy heart that I write these words, as I really like this band. The Popes allowed Shane to continue his Paddy punk movement without the Pogues, which is saying a lot, but they really showed enormous promise on their last release, proving on the classic “Holloway Boulevard” that they could step away from MacGowan and stand on their own.

On “Outlaw Heaven”, they revert back to hitching their wagon on Shane’s star once again. He wheezes lyrics through broken teeth on the outlaw ballads “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Loneliness of a Long Distance Drinker.”

The pictures on their Myspace page show Shane recording the track in a wheelchair, and that pretty much says it all. If the guy in a wheelchair is giving your music some much needed legs, well, you’ve got bigger problems than coming up with the IV drip of Scotch on Shane’s rider.

For a real slice of “Outlaw Heaven”, skip this and pick up a copy of MacGowan’s live album with the Popes, “Across the Broad Atlantic”, which was recorded here in New York prior to the Pogues reunion concerts.