Review: Martin Moro – Nearer
Austrian fingerpicking guitarist Martin Moro explores traditional religious music on his nine-track album ‘Nearer’
Martin Moro – Nearer
Format: CD / LP / Digital
Label: MMM (Martin Moro Music)
Release date: 27 November 2026
Text: Tom Wouters
Martin Moro is an Austrian internationally acclaimed fingerpicking guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, who is touring Europe and occasionally the US for more than three decades playing with solo and with various colleagues. He is also known as a producer for other (Austrian) artists.
‘Nearer’ is the title of his latest album from the deeply religious Austrian and contains nine mostly instrumental religious songs.
The first song is called Ruach (Hebrew for Spirit of God), a Hawaiian sounding track of which Moro writes in the liner notes: “A Hawaiian tune with a Hebrew title played by an Austrian dude with an Italian name. I hope it doesn’t sound Greek to you!” Ruach is followed by an American folksong called Great Dream From Heaven, the only song where we hear Moro sing lead vocals.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness features Moro’s fantastic acoustic guitar fingerpicking style and shows why he is considered to be one of the best, sometimes sounding like one of the great acoustic guitar players from the seventies and eighties, Leo Kottke.
Dir Ist Freude is a song from Italian medieval composer Castoldi with a from Moro composed African middle part, featuring Yukiko Yamazato Härtl on violin and Johnny Kölbl on the diatonic harmonica. Gott Ist Gegenwärtig, from the 17th century composer Joachim Neander, features once again Moro’s fantastic acoustic guitar playing.
In the traditional How Great Thou Art Moro excels on slide guitar with the help of Johnny Kölbl on the diatonic harmonica and is followed by Softly and Tenderly (Jesus Is Calling), a traditional, congregational church song Moro heard sung by Johnny Cash (just vocals and guitar) that deeply moved him. Here Moro plays it pure instrumentally hoping to catch the vibes of Johnny Cash.
Nearer, My God, To Thee is a blues song young Martin Moro picked up during a vacation in England, where he bought the album ‘The Best Of Mississippi John Hurt’. The very appropriate closer of the album, Amen, is a re-recording of the song Moro recorded with The Holmes Brothers, for his 1996 album ‘Scenes’. In the liner notes Moro dedicates the song to Wendell, Sherman and Popey Holmes, saying “they deserve the best musical backup I can offer”.
‘Nearer’ is once again Martin Moro proving he is one of the greatest acoustic guitar players around.
Tracks:
01. Ruach
02. The Great Dream from Heaven
03. Great is Thy Faithfulness
04. In dir ist Freude
05. Gott ist gegenwärtig
06. How Great Thou Art
07. Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling
08. Nearer my God to Thee
09. Amen (feat. The Holmes Brothers)
Website: https://www.martinmoro.com/en/
The album is already available at Martin Moro’s concerts. A limited vinyl edition of 200 copies on 180g vinyl with gatefold packaging is planned, although its delivery date has not yet been confirmed. Digital availability on platforms other than Spotify is expected around Christmas 2026.
Read also:
Want to discover more from Martin Moro and related artists? Click on the titles below to read earlier articles on Bluestown Music.
Review: Martin Moro – The Lights Of Home
An earlier review of Moro’s acoustic guitar work and his versatility as a multi-instrumentalist.
Review: Jorma Kaukonen – Live At The Bottom Line
A live recording rooted in acoustic folk blues and fingerpicking guitar traditions.
Review: Sunjay – Split The Sheets
A collection combining blues, country, folk and rock ‘n’ roll, with acoustic guitar playing at its heart.