Sunday Mercury
April 20th 2008

From KT Tunstall to Karine Polwart, Scotland has a remarkable track record in folk songbirds making the leap into the public consciousness. Pure-voiced Emily Smith may well be about to replicate the feat with a fine set of folk-pop songs rooted in tradition but with a contemporary feel.

From uplifting opener Sunset Hymn to warmly sung Come Home Pretty Bird (about anyone who has to travel away from home), this is a delightful album. She steps back in time for the likes of Caledonia, which marries Tony Cuffe’s melody with age-old lyrics, and The Mermaid Of Galloway, written by Allan Cunningham, a neighbour of Robbie Burns.
JD