Full Review

Kate Rusby – Make the Light

While Kate originally made her name as a pure interpreter of folk songs, there have been a number of her own songs throughout her albums; ‘Make the Light’ marks an important point in her career as for the first time it features all songs written by Kate.

As ever, her beautiful, characteristic vocals are the star of the show, but there’s a subtle change in the arrangements and production that makes this stand out from her previous discs. As well as her acoustic guitar, the musicians include Donald Shaw, Damien O’Kane and John Joe-Kelly who provide a range of instrumentation including accordion, banjo and bodhran which is a slight development on her previous style. The main difference is in the production, it’s a little punchier and edgier than her earlier albums; it’s still all beautifully presented but it all feels a little cleaner and brighter, and it’s a style that makes the whole album feel fresh.

This fresh presentation is matched by the quality of Kate’s songwriting, the construction and presentation is obviously inspired by the folk tradition, and there some genuinely excellent and memorable songs here, ‘The Wishing Wife’ is the real standout with a great story and arrangement, and ‘Lately’ and ‘Let them Fly’ also demonstrate the quality of the whole approach of the album.

While Kate’s albums have always been strong, ‘Make the Light’ is her freshest, most interesting and most rewarding disc since her debut. Highly recommended.