Full Review

Emily Smith – Too Long Away

While still in her 20s Emily has become established as one of Scotland’s finest young folk musicians; her first two albums were fine collections that were deservedly well received, but this third album is the disc where it all comes together and the mix of traditional material and her own songs strikes the perfect balance.
The interpretation of traditional Scottish material has always been a real strength, and on ‘Too Long Away’ she demonstrates why she is one of the finest in this field; combine this with Karine Polwart’s recent traditional album ‘Fairest Floo’er’ these two Scottish artists show how relevant and powerful traditional material really is.
Like Karine, Emily is blessed with a beautiful clear and passionate voice with a lovely Scottish lilt, it works fantastically well on both the traditional material and her, more contemporary songs.

As well as an excellent singer, she is an excellent piano and accordion player, and throughout the disc she is backed by a small but thoughtful group of musicians who add fiddle, guitar, double bass and occasional percussion. This gives the disc a great range of songs from the subdued arrangements of ‘Come Home Pretty Bird’ through to the punchy rhythms of ‘May Colven’.

There are many highlights throughout the 42+ minutes, ‘Caledonia’ (a trad piece, not the Dougie McLean song) is beautifully sung and performed; ‘Audience of Souls’ is a thoughtful self-written piece; and the contrast of ‘May Colven’ helps create balance and interest across the disc.

While Emily may not currently have the profile of Karine Polwart, this disc shows that Emily is one of the finest contemporary Scottish artists around – this is an excellent album that deserves to find a wide audience. Highly recommended.