Shadow and Light Compass Records***

There's refinement a-plenty on guitarist John Doyle's latest solo collection. A stellar supporting cast includes Tim O'Brien on vocals and mandolin, Alison Brown on banjo and John Williams on accordion, and they all shore up Doyle's fine finger-picking guitar work with subtlety. His greatest strength is his ensemble playing, at its best on Killoran's Church, where the broad sweep of his agile playing finds its match in a pair of superb tunes. Themes of emigration and loneliness abound, yet what could have struck so many contemporary chords seem laden down by a gaze cast firmly towards the past. However, Doyle's vocals are the real challenge: workmanlike and diligent, their limited range tethers him to the middle of a road that rarely veers in a direction where emotional investment jousts reasonably with musicianship. See compass records.com

Download tracks: Killoran's Church, Selkie