Clannamore

Irish Edition

August 2000

Review: Albums by Local Artists

by Jamie O'Brien

Every now and then, I find a pile of independent albums produced by local artists building up on my CD player. Inevitably as a some-time musician myself, some are by people I know. And some are really worth listing to. This month here are my thoughts.

CLANNAMORE
Beer, Bawd, and Ballads
Clannamore is brave, too. This duo has made a live album. (Life is hard for musicians – record in a studio and you miss the atmosphere; record in front of an audience and you risk mistakes.) Blaise Liffick (guitar and vocals) and Alanna Berger (hammered dulcimer and vocals) capture the ambience and errors are not apparent. Good job, Clannamore!

Having played together for a number of years, not only as a duo but also as part of a larger band, they are well aware of each other’s performance and work well together. For nearly 55 minutes, they assemble a wide range of songs – some English, some Irish, some traditional, some contemporary – and deliver them with a sprightly approach. Also included are a couple of instrumentals.

Clannamore’s performance is based on their enjoyment of the music and that is one of the main things that comes over on this CD. It’s infectious. Personally, I would have preferred one or two more instrumentals and a larger audience at the recording session (it sounds a little sparse).

And from a technical point of view, there is a slight edge in the tone that should have been softened. But who cares? This is good time music and is great fun!

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