REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk

KIRSTY BROMLEY - Time Ashore
Kizzy Records KIZCD02

Kirsty Bromley has emerged from the thriving Sheffield folk scene with a debut full album to showcase her beautiful singing of traditional and contemporary songs. Her voice is clear, expressive, relaxed and pitch perfect. It lends a glow to a mainly gentle and uplifting set of songs with sensitive accompaniment from musicians including Simon Dumpleton (accordion, piano), Stephen Taberner (double bass), Judith Hooper (fiddle) and Philippe Barnes (guitar, flute, whistle).

The traditional songs include Sweet Nightingale from her 2011 EP; a short, punishment-free version of Two Sisters; and Eat, Drink And Be Jolly, her take on Gavin Davenport’s take on Farewell To Yorkshire. The stand out is Taku Mana, a Maori song which Kirsty sings unaccompanied with harmonies. She picked it up when touring in New Zealand. One of the lines is translated as “the voice truly holds the power of the sun”.

The choice of contemporary songs by Bill Meek, Dougie MacLean, Paul Metsers and Randy Sparks is a touch sentimental for my taste, but she does them all justice. Kirsty has been in dance teams since the age of 11, so English Ground is an apt choice. Written by Lauren Swift and Chris Wood for Morris Offspring, it flies the flag for Morris dance with help from Andy Cutting on melodeon.

Kirsty also includes three of her own songs: Rise Out Of The Ashes, (about the therapeutic power of singing), Caught Up On A Breeze, and Valley Song. They show promise, but I’m always queasy at the juxtaposition of personal songs with storytelling songs from or in the spirit of the tradition. Maybe because I’m a grumpy old sod.

If you are very patient, after the bonus track of Joni Mitchell’s Circles you will hear the added bonus of Kirsty teaching her nieces the Paul Metsers song, One More Time. It ends the album’s generous 61 minutes on a characteristically sweet note.

www.kirstybromley.com

Tony Hendry