Ottawa Citizen 2005

Irish tenors missing only a bit of blarney Group's faultless performance lacks personality

By: Patrick Langston - Music Review

Any hint of blarney left backstage, the much-revered Irish Tenors brought their collection of songs both sacred and earthly to the Corel Centre last night.

And a bit of that blarney just might have gone a long way.

The trio -- John McDermott, Anthony Kearns and Finbar Wright -- are currently the Emerald Isle's second most popular touring group in North America, outpaced only by U2 and have a roster of seven albums to their credit since setting up shop in 1998.

In point of fact, only Kearns and Wright are Irish-born, McDermott being a Glasgow lad who has lived in Canada since his youth. No matter: their music is firmly in the grand old Irish tradition of nostalgia, the large vocal gesture and, occasionally, self-indulgence.

Named the Sacred Tour in support of their just-released album Sacred: A Spiritual Journey, last night's concert, scheduled to run two hours plus, found the three singing both individually and in harmony.

Their voices -- together and individually -- were faultless, their pacing smooth, their control admirable.

But it was just a little bloodless, dewy-eyed heart-on-the-sleeve music notwithstanding.

The trio's repertoire - including Forty Shades of Green and Amazing Grace -- was accompanied by their touring Sacred Orchestra complemented by members of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

The tenors' enthusiastic and mostly older audience of 2,500 also enjoyed the more uptempo Lord of the Dance and the patriotic chestnut Only Our Rivers Run Free.

Wearing tuxes, the three singers kept the stage patter to a minimum, preferring to let the music speak for them.

That's fine, but a couple more anecdotes and jokes -- almost non-existent by press time -- would have sparked a closer connection to their fans.

Heck, McDermott toiled in Toronto's newspaper business before breaking into music (apparently a rousing rendition of Danny Boy at a company bash first got his talents noticed).

Wright was an ordained priest, at 22 reportedly the youngest in the world at the time, before he was seduced by music.

And Kearns -- an opera buff who has sung in La Traviata, among others -- got his big break when he phoned in a song on a radio station singing competition.

There must be a few good stories in there somewhere.

But that wasn't the tenor, so to speak, of last night's performance.

Instead, the three sang, splendidly but relentlessly.

Deus Meus, the lead track from their new album. My Forever Friend. I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen.

Oh, Clancy Brothers, corny but fun, where were you when we needed you?