Jerry Barlow's long awaited third CD has been released, and just in time for your Christmas shopping. It's a worthwhile gift for any Celtic music lover.
Still very much in the vein of Celtic fingerstyle guitar which has been the hallmark of Jerry's music since he left the session scene in Nashville, "Fields and Fences" also shows a lot of the influences of the American heartland in which Jerry has been living, such as his adopted home town of Golden.
As Jerry has done with his other two albums, "Keepsake," and "Bring Down the Storm," he combines traditional music with his own original compositions. But in "Fields and Fences," he pushes the boundaries even further, expertly blending the essence of Americana with a Celtic spirit and his always expressive guitar.
The title track is a marvelous expression of this. One can just smell the sagebrush and juniper of the high plains and see the rugged faces of Irish and Scottish immigrants who settled the land. Jerry stays true to his adopted Colorado home with one of the most outstanding renditions of "America the Beautiful" you've ever heard. This trend continues in such pieces as "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Maiden of the Mesa."
But this is not a departure from the Celtic traditions which have meant so much to Jerry's music these past years, as can be easily heard in his unique arrangements of the traditional "Sonny Brogan's" and "Loch Lomond" and even more so in the intensely spiritual "Druid Moon."
Jerry's forté is solo guitar and it shines forth in this album even more so than the previous two. There are only subtle touches of anything else, but they add a nice touch to the pieces, such as the violin on "America the Beautiful," or the hint of bagpipes on "The Piper."
But solo guitar means more than just the expert picking that Jerry does so well. He adds his own subtle rhythm to several pieces using his own guitar as a percussion instrument.
Jerry's Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar has long been a favorite along the Front Range and increasingly up into the Western Slope and out into neighboring states of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. "Fields and Fences" is another leap forward for Jerry, whose previous albums have shown considerable musical virtuosity and gentle spirit. Visit www.jerrybarlow.com for more information and to purchase all of his CDs. You and your fellow Celtic music lovers will be glad you did.
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