The eloquent and lyrical 21 tracks of Jim Tozier's Celtic Guitar CD show him to be a highly skilled acoustic guitar player. Each stroke shows the sure and steady hand of a master.

From the slow and lyrical "Blind Mary" to the moodier "Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore" (which is accompanied with his own composition, "The Drums of Dawn") to the quicker "The Rocks of Brae," Tozier's CD is an amazing tribute to the Irish and Scottish folk tradition.

Some tunes, such as "Slane," "Paddy O'Carroll" and "Loch Lomond," are well-known already, and the critical ear will find no false, ambivalent or ambiguous note on this album of Scottish and Irish folk instrumentals. Other tracks are equally traditional but not melodies that I personally have heard before, such as "Pretty Girl Milking a Cow."

Most of the songs on the CD are slow and full of a melancholy Celtic longing. I would have liked a peppier mix, reminding us the Celtic soul does have its merrier, friskier moments. Nevertheless this is a great album, and both guitarists and those who love Celtic folk music will like this collection of tunes.

by Carole McDonnell
Rambles.NET
17 September 2005