aaamusic | On 24, Jan 2011

Apparently there is some sort of Gaelic folk revival going on in Scotland; being completely averse to traditional music I decided to dive right in. However, rather than finding listening to “Traiveller’s Joy” a chore, by the end of the album I actually found the sound quite endearing. Make no mistake; Emily Smith has a fantastic voice that has the ability to convey emotion quite brilliantly spanning warmth and fragility with ease.

The stand out track is ‘Dreams of Lullabies’ which is a song that demonstrates that subtlety is often far more effective than a complexly stranded piece could ever be. If you want an example of the strength of Smith’s vocal then the unaccompanied ‘What A Voice’ should be your first port of call. It is the track that gives the album authenticity rather than sounding like a copycat of a tradition and is the perfect way to an end an album.

My problem with this album is that it is probably best described as “nice.” There is nothing artistically at fault here but there is nothing that will inspire anyone to pick up an instrument and write their own songs. It is a common misconception that folk should always be condemned to the aisle of easy listening but this album does nothing to displace this premise. There is no doubt that Smith is incredibly talented but the constraints of the genre in which she finds herself will prevent her from reaching the heights of other folk songstresses like Laura Marling.

Author: Josie Payne