Didn't work its magic on me

I'd never heard of Scottish folkstress Karine Polwart (doesn't sound like a Scottish name to me) before but it's always interesting to discover new artists, or at least artists that not many people know about. Let's take the example of Mary Chapin Carpenter, one of the most talented singer/songwriters in existence, a master story teller and a great wordsmith. But 99.999% of the people reading this have probably never heard of her. I only know of her because she was recommended to me by a friend some 15 or more years ago.

So on to Karine Polwart then. Well it turns out she's been around for quite a few years, and this is her fourth album. She has already built up quite a fanbase in the trad/folk area, but it's a new area for me as it's not something I listen to often, apart from a brief dalliance with Jacquie McShee's Pentangle for a previous DVD review...

And after listening to this album a lot of times in the last few days, I'm still not won over. Polwart is a good songwriter, and there is a lot of modernity to her blend of folk, with songs concentrating on the current state of world affairs, politics and certain wars (Better Things, Painted It White). But these talents, and a good voice (whose Scots accent seems to drift in and out depending on the song) are lost in too many bland musical arrangements.

There are some interesting parallels to be drawn with the performances of other female artists here - I was reminded of Dolores O'Riordan (formerly lead singer of The Cranberries), Sheryl Crow and Sarah McClachlan at various points, but the blandness of the band and the arrangements distract you too often from the good points. I would like to hear her performing with a different band, as some of these songs could be transformed, but as it is this album is just too ordinary for me. I might go back and listen to a couple of the songs again, but I won't be rushing out to look for more albums right now.

Fans of her work seem to be largely in favour of this album, although some also share my concerns about its blandness. If you are a fan, you'll probably go and pick it up, but I don't think it will convert any unbelievers this time around.