Niall Toner Band

There's A Better Way

(Avalon Records AVCD004) 41:43

Look out for the Niall Toner Band! Roaring out of Ireland like a serpent being chased by St. Patrick, Niall Toner's trio has, at minimum, three things going for it- above average songwriting, a concise vision of bluegrass and old-time music, and-perhaps most importantly- humility.

Lyrically, the original writing (all numbers are either written or co-written by Toner or guitarist Clem O'Brien) combine catchy wordplay ("Twelve bars like this and I'll be gone, like John Lee Hooker in an old blues song", is one of the finer couplets) with topical themes addressed in clever, non-didactic manner, seldom resorting to cliché. Instrumentally, most numbers feature guitar, mandolin, and standup bass, with a smattering of 5-string and fiddle, resulting in an aural canvas that is purposefully sparse with accruements given space to breathe. O'Brien proves himself a clean,precise multi-instrumentalist playing guitar, Dobro, and mandolin; of note are his contributions to the album's closer, "Sweet Memories Of You."

The Niall Toner Band make no apologies for not playing bluegrass like Mr. Monroe and, by proceeding in this manner, do indeed follow Monroe's tradition of breaking new musical ground. Both Toner and O'Brien have brilliant voices-sometimes bluesy, sometimes 'grassy, identifiable and far reaching- that they utilize to maximum effect throughout the album's 11 vocal pieces; the harmonizing on the title track is only one example of this clarity of sound. The only instrumental, "Drunken Daisy/You Gotta Have a Banjo In The Band" has a rollicking Celtic feel and sounds centuries old.

Truly a band, Niall Toner steps aside when the song requires fewer participants. "My Baby's Gone and Said Goodbye," on which Clem O'Brien essentially performs solo accompanied by the mere hint of bass, is an exemplar of this standard. In other places, Toner is allowed to take the lead, as on a pair of Bill Monroe tribute numbers, "The Master's Resting Place" and "Bill Monroe's Mandolin." The former is most successful, eloquently combining touchstones from Monroe's life- Rosine, Uncle Pen, blue hills, among others - with O'Brien's spot-on, lovely mando fills.

Toner seems a right enough fellow, the kind of man you could share a few pints and stories without ever once checking your watch. With his heart in Kentucky but his soul in Ireland, Toner has created a recording of the highest caliber. There's A Better Way is brilliant upon first listen. It only improves with repeated listening. donat@indigo.ie