Review of "Close To Home"
By :: Gerry Quinn
Publication :: The Irish Examiner

Other musicians however have to deal with the weight of another type of tradition – the family. The pressure of being an offspring of one of Ireland’s best known musical families must weight heavy on the shoulders of Donal Clancy. Son of Liam, his first solo album takes him on a slightly different direction to that of his father, uncles and Tommy Makem on Close To Home. Clancy the younger treats us to an instrumental collection of Irish tunes played on the acoustic guitar. From the opening notes of track one, Tommy Coen’s/Callaghan’s, right through the dozen sets on this fine recording, Clancy confirms that he is indeed a chip off the old block, and then some. The immediate impression gained from an initial listening is that the guitarist has impeccable taste in regard to the selection of tunes. Clancy’s not swayed by the current trend of employing newly composed, lightweight pieces that appear to have no grounding and very little substance. He judiciously selects tried and tested melodies from a large session repertoire and interprets them imaginatively but at all times remains true to the core of the tune.

On a pair of hornpipes Byrne’s/Kitty’s Wedding, two fine duet recordings from the seventies are recalled - Jackie Daly & Seamus Creagh’s wonderful LP on Gael Linn featured the first and Noel Hill & Tony Linnane’s classic from 1979 is the source of the second. Comparison between Close To Home and Arty McGlynn’s masterpiece, McGlynn’s Fancy from well over two decades ago are certainly valid, but this new guitar opus can stand on its own feet as a welcome addition to a specific field that is surprisingly sparse and thin on the ground. This Compass Records release features Clancy’s evidential talents as an inventive guitarist, but it’s his ability to tailor his style to meet the demands of the tunes that places it in the inspirational bracket