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Review of “Kin” 2021

Canadian Adam Dobres began his musical studies with classical guitar, then focused on jazz, and soon joined ensembles to play a wide range of roots genres. He's performed with the Ruth Moody Band, Toni Childs, Wailin' Jennies, and was a member of Outlaw Social. These experiences stoked his creative fires, and the results on Kin are impressive. The album opens with "The Yearning", a solo fingerstyle piece inspired by Franco Marone. As on other selections, Dobres's strong interest in Celtic music is evident. Both the melody and drone accompaniment emulate pipes and it's a strong piece. "Daffodil Hill" follows, a reflective piece for which Celtic influences are more subtle. He picks up the pace with "Jubilation Jig". The piece's title says it all - it's a jig, conceived in and played with joy. "Ometz Lev - Courageous Heart" is another solo piece, this one with a continental sound, resembling some of John Renbourn's solo compositions from the late 1970s and 80s. Dobres's wife suggested the title of the DADGAD piece, "Salmon Run". Its rapid, cascading melody evokes the fishes' journey to spawn as well as a lively dance among us land dwellers. "Starlight Romance" is Dobres's foray into gypsy jazz, played with a Latin tinge. His single-string soloing is more scalar than Django Reinhardt's playing, but he's more than capable and definitely engaging in this context. "Ruby's Dream" finds Dobres weaving electric and classical guitars around a theme played on steel string acoustic. The arrangement has a spacious feel and reveals another aspect of his musical interests and skills. "Butterfly" follows, which, although a solo piece, is no less fully realized than "Ruby's Dream". The lyrical "She's a Sunflower" recalls Scottish songs such as "Wild Mountain Thyme", while Dobres emulates pipes once more on the jaunty "Where Two Rivers Meet", played in 6/8 time. "The Dove" features another singable melody that's beautifully ornamented. He closes the album with "Good Night, Sweet Dreams", looking back to "Ruby's Dream", but played solo, with an exquisite rise and fall in intensity. While I love the entire album, it's with pieces like "Daffodil Hill", "Ometz Lev" and "The Dove" that Adam Dobres strongly demonstrates his individuality as a composer and performer. Dobres has prospects of building a strong worldwide following among fans of fingerstyle guitar. He's produced tablature books of his solo works and I'd like to see him teach at the major music camps. Go, Adam!