MINOR 7th – U.S.A.
www.minor7th.com
"Infinity", 2004 Croatia's Damir Halilic (Hal) is one powerful steel-string fingerstyle guitarist."Infinity" features Hal's well-structured solo guitar compositions, showing influences of Leo Kottke, Duck Baker and Tommy Emmanuel, primarily in his rhythmic intensity. His picking is fast, assertive and exceptionally clean. Hal's solos hold up to repeated listening, the best among them including "Cartoon Rag", "Tender Wagon Song" and "12-String Special", a blues that begins with echoes of Leadbelly and leaps into aural outer space with insistent riffing in the middle and upper registers. The duo and ensemble pieces are tight and often recall European rock of the 1970s and 80s. These selectionsadd variety to the CD, but detract somewhat from Hal's guitar showcases. In fact, these pieces make "Infinity" sound more like an anthology more than a cohesive, well-integrated work. However, that is no reason to ignore Hal - a supremely creative and gifted player whose talent warrants an international audience. © Patrick Ragains

GUITAR 9 – U.S.A.
www.guitar9.com
Croatian Steel-String Fingerstylist
Yes, you read that right... Hal. The artist named Hal. Well his  real name is Damir Halilic, but Hal apparently seems to roll off the tongue a little easier. Hal's playing on his latest CD, Infinity is all business - he's a classically trained guitarist who plays in the best American fingerstyle tradition. Rather than populate a CD full of solo instrumental tracks,  Hal has chosen to display his prodigious talent in various settings, such as vocal tracks, full band arrangements, and percussiv e duos, as well as solo guitar. Infinity thus suggests the infinity of a steel string player's expressive potential. The instrumental track "Leo's Dance" (a tribute to Leo Kottke ) is a wonderful example of Hal's appetite for creative rrangement, beginning as it does with solo guitar, adding percussion later, and winding up with a full band coda. Hal's dedication to the guitar carries Infinity up to a higher level, one that should be experienced by open minded steel-string fans the world over.

BRIDGE GUITAR REVIEWS - Netherlands
www.xs4all.nl/~guitars/passion.html
HAL Infinity 2004 (Dancing Bear Records)
Hal, (his full name is Damir Halilic) is a Croatian finger-style guitar player, whomade some albums before as Ocean and Gemini. He played with international guitarists as Tommy Emmanuel, Woody Mann, Daniele Bazzani and also Franco Morone, to mention a few. His influences in music hail from bluegrass, Celtic, classical, world, folk and other styles. His new album Infinity, contains as well solo works as pieces with a band. Hal has a melodic approach to composing as his first track Open News. Leo's Dance has a folk feeling by adding clapping hands. Speak to Me with assistance of a band and a singer is a pop song with folk influences and the additional mandolin Hal plays too. There are many pop related songs with added vocals by divers singers. One of the solo works is Desejo with a brilliant melodic structure. At Court has a classical ambiance and Torrente refers to a blues pattern with nice percussion and picking pattern as Hal demonstrates on his last track Strings Special. In 67 minutes you hear 18 songs with a journey through numerous styles and techniques.Henk te Veldhuis - Bridge Guitar Reviews

CHITARRE – Italy
"Infinity", the third album by the universal and talented Croatian guitar player Hal offers quite a wide range of various styles, however having a common denominator in the acoustic guitar and traces of the classical music foundations. Eighteen songs will admire not only guitar players but a general public as well. A sure thing is that a lot will be heard about this guy, already known in Croatia.

IL GAZZETINO - Italy
Hal, musicista di Rijeka e considerato tra i migliori chitarristi fingerstyle europei...

GUITAR CLUB - Italy
Un album che mostra tutta la maturita artistica e strumentale di Hal ma che e sopratutto l'evoluzione di un suo progetto che porta lontano

Berlin, Germany
Der Kreative Musiker uberzeugt bei seinen Auftitten auch mit einer ungewohnlich virtuosen Fingertechnik

Kempten, Germany
Hal aus Kroatien dagegen kommt aus der ganz anderen Ecke: klassich perfekt ausgebildet, ist er einer der vielseitigsten Gitarristen Europas.

Aachen, Germany
Hal ist ein ausgesprochen vielseitiger Gitarrist, der die verschiedensten Stilrichtungen vom Fingerstyle uber den Blues bis hin zum Jazz virtuos beherrscht. Sympathische Kroate uber zwei Stunden lang Eigenkompositionen und originell arrangierte Klassiker wie Robert Johnsons „Crossroads“ oder Gershwins „Summertime“. Bei einigen Titel sang seine Freundin Meri Troselj die uber eine der ausdrucksstarksten Stimmen verfugt ...

 

NOVI LIST - Croatia
www.novilist.hr
Muriel Anderson, Hal & Meri Troselj - A paramount guitar happening«Stormy Monday» raised ovation at Lokvina The audience had a chance to experience »Recuerdos de la Alhambra« in a quite an unusual two guitars performance, virtuously played by Muriel Anderson and Hal. However, the culmination was »Stormy Monday«, the legendary blues standard performed by Muriel, Hal and Meri Trošelj.

NOVI LIST - Croatia
www.novilist.hr
The audience rewarded guitar virtuosos by ovations. This was a rare guitar performance in euphoric mood.

www.muzika.hr
Hal is abundant in talent and playing techniques successfully implemented in his songs. His talent if full of the sensibility and the beauty of his sounds. Each song has its core, complemented by supplements, ranging from solos to entire band. Well, if you like experimenting and you are an acoustic guitar fan, this album will definitely charm you.

www.dopmagazin.com
Extraordinary album and potential door-opener to the hearts of wide range of audience 

www.vip.hr
«Infinity» is a multifaceted, pleasant, quality and - I do hope - commercial album made by one on those virtuosos who are very good in steering their own talent.

GLAS ISTRE
www.glasistre.hr
Woody Mann, Hal and Meri Trošelj gave a most successful concert in Buzet Homeland Museum. In the "city of truffles", excellent acoustic guitar fingerstyle players offered unexpectedly numerous audience one of the most interesting concerts of the kind ever.  

JUTARNJI LIST 21.3.2003.
Hal's technique is brilliant and, as Thomas Kleemaier from Acoustic Music Records says: " Hal plays in the best American finger style tradition, but there always  is this little something, this little extra, that makes his playing unique". This little something is his sense for melody and meticulous incorporation of local imprints as well as the exceptional beauty of his songs rather that showing off with a mere technique

VIJENAC (Matica Hrvatska)
Along with the splendor of play, prevailing on the album, hats off to Hal for his ambition to get such an uncommercial music category closer to a wider auditorium. This out of standard album is worthwhile listening for many times because Hal's perfect guitar stylization keeps offering something new over and over again. A feast for your ears

GLAS SLAVONIJE
One cannot overpay attention to  the «Ocean» because it is not only made of fireworks, but rather, it is arranged so that that it functions as a kind of a world music project.....

TEEN
The beautiful sound of guitar calms you down and making perfect background for moments of your relaxation. Ideal to be enjoyed in during your day off afternoon.

GLAS ISTRE
This excellent piece is another proof of Hal's talent...

LJEPOTA I ZDRAVLJE
Magazin "Ljepota i Zdravlje" recommends listening of Hal's album Ocean. Keep in mind that the world of acoustic (classic) guitar  assumes an intimate acquaintance with music, and modern composer's approach most often includes journey through various styles and forms resulting from the development of the instrument in the past century
and various influences.

IQ
Hal is chopping the strings, yet it seems as if his fingers were glued to them. This album, inspired by  watery expanses, was produced by Franco Morone, one of the world  famous guitar players.

NOVI LIST 17.3.2003.
Hal's musical views are actually without limits, so he tried various genres in his career, from electronic music, blues and country to this album, Ocean, where acoustic guitar arrangements prevail

SLOBODNA DALMACIJA 2005,
Hal se pokazao kao vrsni znalac sviranja gitare, a u dijelovima koncerta gdje je nastupila I Meri Trošelj lako se moglo vidjeti kako ova pjevačica svojim izvedbama lako zaokuplja pozornost publike.

LA VOCE DEL POPOLO 21.3.2003.
Hal, creative and hyperactive by nature, and above all, a virtuoso guitar player,one of the few who succeeded to master the most different techniques, is convincing either as an acoustic or a rock guitar player. However, the finger style is Hal's most brilliant feature

vipmusic
The interplay of Mediterranean influences ("Brela", "Mediterranea"), classical forms, elements of new age and exceptional grasp of American guitar tradition ("High Noon Express", "Unplugged Chat") on this album, like a very few of the kind, ties your attention. In quite a noncommercial domain, Hal reached the paramount of popularity, however without compromising the artistic value.

JUTARNJI LIST 21.3.2003.
Without giving up the diversity, especially in eclectic exploration and interplay of guitar styles - ranging from acoustic guitar to blues, jazz and country "picking" - Hal, inspired by Mediterranean atmosphere, achieved the coherent album mood.

JUTARNJI LIST 13.3.2003.
"Ocean", the first Croatian CD presenting author music by guitar virtuoso from Rijeka, Hal.Slobodna Dalmacija 17.3.2003.Exceptional guitar player presented his rich finger style technique and his most superb play, as in Mosquito, a piece based on blues and folk. Similar music was made famous by Ry Cooder. Also, here is the beautiful Dalmatiantheme Brela. Dancing Bear press conference is more than favorable surprise, presenting Hal from Rijeka, an exceptional guitar player and his rich finger style technique

VJESNIK 21.3.2003.
As an exceptionally proficient player, Damir Halilić showed his superior abilities on paths ranging from American music - blues, country and jazz - to home music based on traditional music