Clarelynn Rose – Elegant Tern

A beautiful, graceful, acoustic guitar album.

I think that if you heard Clarelynn playing, without knowing who it was, it would be obvious that the guitarist is a woman; there is just something about the way she plays, not the songs themselves or the themes and emotions, but the way she touches the strings which is strongly feminine. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard this from any other female artist. In her case it’s quite obvious.

Now this attribute is one of the things which I find really makes the album stand out and gives the whole thing a fresh, original, approach. It runs away from the average acoustic guitar album. Add to that the fact that she can play without overdoing it, while conveying a wealth of warm, true emotions, and you have the makings of a great album.

Only Monk’s Gate and I Saw Three Ships are not Clarelynn’s original work. However, the ten other tracks are her own work. And those are the stronger pieces. Elegant Tern, I believe, resumes the album with it’s gracefulness, yet Damnation Trail just grabs you and keeps a hold of you. Funny, during that song, I always keep expecting to hear Shawn Phillips singing. Quite a tour de force.

Clarelynn is a self-taught guitarist and forester from redwood country, currently living in Mendocino County, California. Clearly, she lacks no inspiration. 10% of the profits of sales of this CD is donated in support of environmental education.