Dan Neely(New York Irish Echo):
“Irish Guitar” is filled with great tunes and songs
and itʼs a must for people interested in fingerstyle trad guitar. OʼBrienʼs execution, however, involves the subtle glassiness of subdued electric guitars juxtaposed to heady acoustic timbres and plays on the atmospheric elements of traditional music in a way few other guitar players do.
Born in County Cork, OʼBrien is now based in Minnesota and is an accomplished and eclectic traditional musician, counting
jazz, punk and country among his many musical influences. This stylistic flexibility has attracted the likes of Paddy Keenan, Eileen Ivers and Cathie Ryan to his music, and it adds an extra dimension to his work with fiddler
Matt Mancuso. (The duo released their album “Road Work” last year.)
“Irish Guitar” is a mixture of instrumental and vocal tracks
in which OʼBrien explores a diversity of playing styles. Some tracks settle on more a flatpicked feel, while others explore the subtlety and nuance of different fingerstyle approaches. For example, tracks like “Matt Peoples /…” and “Ruins of Kilmallock/ …” are somewhat reminiscent of Duck Bakerʼs work, while tracks like “Chief OʼNeillʼs Hornpipe” and “Independence Hornpipe / …” call the playing and swing of Chet Atkins to mind.
Alongside the instrumental tracks is a selection of lovely songs. “Next Market Day,”“Days Burn Down” and “Sweetest Honey” all feature OʼBrienʼs brilliant voice and superior fingerstyle playing. OʼBrien also gives us a taste of his award-winning songwriting (he received the “Best
Song Award” from the American Folk Alliance in 2003,
and was a featured artist on NPR’s “All Songs Considered”) in “Good Times Coming,”; a driving, percussive song that will surely ring around inside your head. (Itʼs a great song, and perhaps the highlight of the album.)
“Irish Guitar” is a smart, stylish offering from one of trad musicʼs outstanding singer guitarists.