At Home is a mixture of original and cover songs, some sung by Barry, others by Holly with the occasional duet. Barry plays lead and rhythm guitars, Holly also plays rhythm guitar and they are accompanied by Ross Sermon on upright bass. They have deliberately gone for a more simplistic style, as evinced by the title of the CD and the minimalist musical accompaniment. They balance changes in style, pace and mood, and their covers, predominantly from the '50s, are nicely done.

Holly's amusing "One More Me (The Cloning Song)" will surely strike a chord with most women, "I'm an overtime, full time, double time, overworked, underpaid mother of three; all I need is one more me!" What's more, it is catchy enough to quickly latch into your brain while you do the washing, the cleaning, the dishes and so on! Barry's "A Man's Best Friend is His Automobile" will doubtless appeal more to male fans.

There are a couple of instrumental pieces, arranged by Barry and well-played, but the strength lies in the easy sound of their singing. In "My Window Faces South," there is some delightfully nifty fingerpicking, and the song is ideal for Holly's voice. Those who know the Tashians' other work will surely enjoy At Home, and though it initially seems a little on the bland side, it quickly grows on you without being pushy. I do feel that their own compositions come across better than the covers, which is probably to be expected, and I therefore wished for a higher percentage of Tashian originals. Overall, a pleasant if somewhat unassuming CD.

- Rambles
written by Jenny Ivor
published 7 December 2002