Ella Edmondson is a cool and thoughtful singer-songwriter who is emerging as a highly individual voice on a British folk and acoustic scene that's awash with impressive young female singers. She has already opened for the likes of Julie Fowlis and Rachel Unthank, and her first album is remarkable for her extraordinary backing band. Everyone from the new folk scene is here, from the fiddle-player and multi instrumentalist John McCusker to Andy Cutting on accordion and producer Andy Seward on double bass, while the backing vocals are provided by anyone from Kate Rusby to Jim Causley. As for Edmondson's songs, they are mostly drifting, thoughtful and serious, with no hint that she's the daughter of two celebrated comedians (her dad is Young Ones star and punk fan Adrian Edmondson, while mum is Jennifer Saunders, who apparently prefers country music). So Hunger is a pained, no-nonsense song about jealousy, The Other Side is a confident piece matching acrobatic vocals against mood changes, and the title track is another personal story, driven on by McCusker's swirling fiddle work. A classy debut.
(Monsoon/Cadiz)