Tir Na Nog, whose name translates from the Gaelic as "Land of Eternal Youth," hit a Zeitgeist with their first album. The pairing of
Sonny Condell and
Leo O'Kelly caught the same softness as, say,
Nick Drake, but more open and engaging, with just enough lilting
Celtic influence to offer plenty of charm (although, it must be said, very little of the Irish tradition is evident in their music). The acoustic duo could be sweetly romantic, as on
"Time Is Like a Promise" and
"Our Love Will Not Decay," but they could also offer a crowd-pleaser like the
singalong "Aberdeen Angus." "Picadilly" is especially poignant, a touching tale.
Condell brings a few exotic touches to the disc, adding tabla, Moroccan drum, and jew's harp, but that hardly turns them into a version of
the Incredible String Band -- their writing simply isn't quirky enough. That's not to imply there isn't a strength to it; there is. They can pen a good, memorable tune with an affecting chorus, and the relatively straightforward arrangements, fleshed out by
Barry Dransfield's fiddle and
Nick Harrison's arrangements, are never overdone. Pleasant without ever being startling, this is '70s
folk-rock, with the emphasis on the
folk more than the
rock. ~ Chris Nickson
