Product Description

Fourth album, her third of original material after a slightreturn to her trad roots on 2007's 'Fairest Floo'er', from the Scots folkstress. A winning amalgamation of traditional songwriting and instrumentation with jazz and pop influences, this is a showcase for the sort of deep and introspective lyrical perspective that has seen Polwart showered with praise and bestowed with multiple BBC folk awards.

Track Listing

1. The Good Years
2. Sorry
3. Better Things
4. Rivers Run
5. Painted It White
6. Firethief
7. Behind Our
8. Eyes
9. The News
10. Sorrowlessfield
11. Tongue That Cannot Lie

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #617 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-10
• Number of discs: 1

Q (****), April 08
"Rising Scottish folkstress still on the up...spellbinding voice...an exceptionally subtle and melodic songwriter...in a fairer world 'The Good Years' sumptuous harmonies would be all over the airwaves"

About the Artist
The bittersweet, cascading harmonies of "The Good Years" sets the tone for Karine Polwart's new album This Earthly Spell (Hegri04). And it's been a good year indeed for The Scottish Borders based singer, who gave birth to her first child in 2007, and still managed to record enough material for not one but two new albums on her own label imprint Hegri Music.

Following the fireside intimacy of Scottish traditional collection Fairest Floo'er (Hegri03, Dec 2007), This Earthly Spell reinforces Polwart's reputation as a humane and perceptive songwriter who draws on indie and roots influences as much as folk traditions.

The chiming opening track, a gorgeous vocal setting of a lyric by eminent Scots poet Edwin Morgan, gives way to the steely, swampy "Sorry", whilst the delightful jazz inflected whimsy of "The News" contrasts the anti-nuclear political bite of "Better Things" and the incisive "Painted It White".

Unsurprisingly, for a new mum, three songs deal with motherhood. The poignant understatement of "Firethief", which Polwart wrote originally for HIV/AIDS documentary "The Enemy That Lives Within", one of BBC Radio 2's Radio Ballads, unravels a mother's loss; whilst she wrote the tender and delicate "Rivers Run" for her own son.

But it's the eerie and atmospheric parable "Tongue That Cannot Lie" that, most of all, betrays Polwart's background as a former philosophy teacher, and her ongoing fascination with moral ambivalence. Inspired by the supernatural legend surrounding thirteenth century Scottish Borders poet and prophet Thomas The Rhymer, it also distinguishes her as an ambitious and captivating storyteller.

Most of the album was recorded just a few miles away from her Borders home at the beautiful Heriot-Toun visual arts studio which she and her live band, with producer Calum Malcolm, transformed into a unique and intimate recording environment. But despite the rural influences, there's nothing escapist or sentimental about this collection of songs.

It's three years since Polwart scooped a trio of BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, including "Best Album" for her debut Faultlines and "Best Original Song", an accolade she won for a second time in 2007. In the meantime, she's released two further solo albums, Scribbled in Chalk and Fairest Floo'er, and collaborated with the likes of Roddy Woomble and cult Glasgow indie outfit Future Pilot AKA. And she shows no sign of slowing down:

"More and more I feel like an album captures just a wee slice of time. I'm already working on new ideas and will be making new songs available through my website on a monthly basis this year for people who're interested. I think it's more and more important now for songwriters like me to offer something more than just a static piece of work."

Customer Reviews

What a find!!!
Faultless!
Buy this one, and then buy them all. You'll not be disappointed.

That's Proper Folk
I'd heard of Karine Polwart but never heard her perform until I spent £1.99 on the "That's Proper Folk" CD (or whatever it's called).

Possibly the best £1.99 I've ever spent, if only because it introduced me to this album.

Karine Polwart was head and shoulders the winner on that CD (and I'm a fan of Cara Dillon, so work that one out) with the track "Sorry". Which meant that I had to go out and buy this CD.

Worth every penny: there's clearly a trad-folk element running throughout this, whether it's the tunes or the lyrics, but with a definite modern flavour. Her singing is strong, with her accent a joy to hear (that's one of the great things about folk - no faux American accents), and this is a consistently rewarding album.

If you've come here off the back of the "That's Proper Folk" album, buy this - you won't be disappointed. Now I have to get my wallet out and buy the other albums....

Dissapointing
I have loved karine Polwarts first two albums Faultlines and Scribbled in Chalk and she is great live and i was really looking forward to this new album. However, despite repeated plays i just cannot get in to it. Compared to the other 2 albums there is a lack of tunes and it is rather dull.It all seems a much of a muchness and all the tracks tend to sound the same. There are some good lyrics but it is ruined by the lack of tunes.If you are new to Karine i would stick with the first 2 albums identified above which are excellent and as for me i hope the next album is better.