While ‘Stillhouse Road’ is Julie’s first fully formed, commercial release it’s actually the logical progression from a couple of earlier self released discs, and the new album takes her stronger early material, mixes in some new songs and adds some of the biggest contemporary country musicians around to create an excellent and distinctive album.
Her earlier releases were memorable for their stunning packaging and the raw energy of the music, and this edge is still present here – there’s a looseness and natural feel to the disc that is often missing on albums in this genre, the addition of top quality musicians has smoothed out some of the rougher edges, but it still feels looser and less forced, and in this case it’s definitely A Good Thing.
Stylistically it’s not dissimilar to an Alison Krauss & Union Station disc (Krauss is a good friend of Lee’s, and provides vocal support on the disc), and it mixes bluegrass, country and folk and this gives the disc a varied but familiar feel – her songwriting feels natural and unforced, fresh but immediately accessible.
Her vocals are the real standout – in keeping with the natural feel there’s a beautiful edge to her voice that adds warmth and charm to the tracks; she’s a versatile singer and switches between styles well, from the straight-forward country pop of ‘Another You’ through to the earthy and folky bluegrass of the title track her delivery is perfect for the atmosphere and feel of the song.
Guest appearances from the likes of Krauss, Colin Linden, Vince Gill and Larry Franklin add some excellent touches and their names are guaranteed to help raise the profile of ‘Stillhouse Road’, but the truth is shouldn’t need it - this is an excellent album of great songs that are beautifully sung and arranged, and one of the most refreshing singer/songwriter discs around. Recommended.

£13.49