Shine

Enniscorthy-man Clive Barnes is a 24-year-old blues singer-songwriter who, unlike too many of his European blues counterparts, doesn't sing in a fake American accent about going down to Chicago.

On his self-recorded debut album Shine, Barnes ranges through a palette of sounds that evoke a wide range of feelings and emotions, from the fingerpickin' good 'Lovin' Emma' to the gentle wistfulness of 'Cyprus Grove', whose undercurrent of busy fretwork adds an urgent counterpart to the comparatively restrained lyric.

Barnes' influences are many and varied - Fred McDowell, Skip James, Bill Monroe, folk, blues, country and a little jazz tinge here and there too - but rarely do those influences hide his natural flair for unveiling the essence of songs performed without affectation.

Predictably, given his chosen genre, there are a few cliches we could live without - like yet another song about a 'Midnight Train' - but they're rare blemishes on what, by any standard, is a stunning debut from a talent well worth nurturing.