Ramble To Cashel - Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar Volume One Missouri

Ramble To Cashel - Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar VolumeOne

Various Artists

Rounder Records, 1998

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 12/14/1998

Being part Irish, I have always had an affinity toward music that was somehow related to the Auld sod. (Well, there is one exception; my dad borrowed a disc of Irish music from my mom recently. It was so poorly played, that it left no doubt to me why... well, insert your own joke here.)

Being a marginal guitarist, I also am drawn to albums that feature spectacular guitar work. There is a reason I've loved the work of such six-string masters as Page, Satriani, Vai and Uhrich. (Trust me, one day I'll explain who that fourth name belongs to.) Note that I'm not claiming to be in the same category as these players - hell, I'm not worthy to change their guitar strings.

When you combine these two different worlds, the result can be fantastic, as evidenced on Ramble To Cashel - Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar Volume One. This disc, a "soundtrack" to the home video of the same name, is part of a two-disc collection released earlier this year on the genre. (We'll eventually get to the second volume in the set, The Blarney Pilgrim.)

Seven men who could be considered masters of this alternative-tuning style of guitar playing give it their all throughout the 22 songs that make up this disc. Whether it is the wondrous string bending you'll hear by Martin Simpson, the resounding bass strings of Steve Baughman, the light, almost pop-like sound to the playing of Pierre Bensusan or the more classical sound to the playing of Duck Baker, there will be something on this disc for all listeners. If you're not enjoying something on this disc, you're either dead or not a guitarist.