When Idlewild lead singer Roddy Woomble turned up on Kate Rusby's last album, his low tones jarred with her sweet singing, so it comes as a surprise to find that when it's Kate supplying the harmonies, it works brilliantly.With due respect to Woomble's songwriting, it's the harmonies of Rusby, along with the production and violin of her husband John McCusker, that make the solid bed to build his beautiful songs on.
That said, it's a close call whether the epic "Waverley Steps", sung with Rusby, or the heart-bursting title track, which sees the fantastic Karine Polwart on harmony duties, is the real show-stealer.
Tender and epic, enormous yet touching, Woomble's secret may not be his silence, but the brilliance of his musical friends.
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