Debut albums from artists drop through our doors on a regular basis, but there are very few that make as big an impact as 'Shire Boy' did on first listen.
Emily is a young English performer and songwriter with distinct talents - her guitar work and vocals are consistently excellent; varied, detailed and beautifully tailored to the mood of each track. Her writing, choice of material and interpretations are all positive points for this album - it's a mixture of her own songs, a few 'trad arr' numbers and some well chosen covers. The disc may have strong folk elements, but it has much more in common with contemporary acoustic singer/songwriter albums than it does with traditional folk collections. Her own writing often has its roots in folk, but they are obviously modern pieces, and the title track illustrates this perfectly - a well written song with a present day narrative, a great example of contemporary British folk.
The instrumentation on the disc is varied; the inclusion of fiddle, melodeon, banjo and the like adds depth and interest across the 12 tracks, and some of the best musicians on the acoustic scene appear on the guest list, Maartin Allcock, Diz Disley and Pete Morton amongst their number.
Emily is a young performer with a bright future, and she's certainly an artist we'll all be hearing more of in the future. 'Shire Boy' is more than just a promising debut, it's an accomplished and polished album. Highly recommended. 

£12.99