Pennsylvania’s Gary Ferguson and Ireland’s Colin Henry pursued individual careers prior to meeting during one of Ferguson’s solo tours of the Emerald Isle. Nevertheless, they connected immediately and began collaborating by sharing files over the internet long distance.
The aptly titled Distant Brothers from Gunny Sack Music shows how effectively their collaboration has panned out.
With Ferguson singing lead vocal and playing guitar, and Henry handling resonator guitar, they’ve created a moving and melodic set of songs consisting of six offerings written or co-written by Ferguson, four others composed by Henry, and a quiet, contemplative take on Bruce Springsteen’s Mansion On The Hill.
In addition, a tasteful and talented group of musicians provides accompaniment, among them Joe Murray, Nick Henry, Claire Raines, and Mark Schatz on bass, Ron Block on banjo, Matt MacGlashan on mandolin and guitar, Claire Lynch, Janet Henry, and Donna Murray on harmony vocals, Ron Stewart on fiddle, Ted Ponsonby on Hammond organ, and Rachna O Braonian on low whistle. Even so, the arrangements provide a somewhat sparse setting that finds an ideal fit with each of these quiet and contemplative melodies. The beauty that’s borne throughout is quite affecting, be it the delicate designs filtered through the introspective instrumentals — Distant Brothers (The Beginning), Gone to the Dogs, Imperfection, and a reprise of the title track — or the half-spoken narrative More to the Story, the easy embrace of An Angel’s Breath, or the beautiful balladry of Chasing a Dream and Just a Lucky Man.
Given the duo’s folk-like finesse, it’s hard to imagine a lovelier set of songs, or for that matter, one that’s as articulate and expressive. One can only hope the pair continue to find ways to work together in the future. After all, it’s clear these would-be siblings have something extraordinarily special that they’re able to share.
