Following on from the excellent 'Blackbirds & Thrushes', Niamh has returned with another superb album that show cases her stunning voice
The twelve tracks on the disc are all ballads in the true sense of the word in that they are all story songs. They are a mixture of traditional folk and contemporary compositions, but the contemporary songs have been written with more than a nod to traditional folk, and both old and new sit well together.
As with all traditional ballads, it's the story that is the most important element and her vocals convey the message clearly. She really gets to the heart of each song and the listener is never in doubt as to the emotions of the narrative.
The standout track is the beautiful 'Annan Water', a song she performs without any accompaniment - it's expressive and insightful and really showcases her skill as a traditional singer. Instrumentation on the disc is used sparingly, guitar, fiddle, accordion and harmonica are used, but it's Niamh's voice that makes the disc what it is.
'In My Prime' is a disc that will appeal to all - those who know Niamh's work need no further encouragement, those not sure of trad music should listen to this and prepare to be very surprised.

£13.49