Underneath the Stars

Kate Rusby has a nice voice, well-suited for the folk/Celtic music that she sings. I’m not sure if she is Irish, but she sings with an accent. Her songs range from slow ballads to fast, upbeat tunes. The lyrics are engaging and the instrumentals well-done. If you like folk or Celtic, I’d really recommend giving her a listen.

1) The Good Man– pretty, light song about infidelity; strong rhythm from guitars and accordion 2) The Daughter of Megan– slow, pretty song; very pleasant to listen to 3) Let Me Be– not as good as the two former songs; strong guitar instrumentals 4) Cruel– slow and pretty song about lost love; very simple guitar accompaniment 5) The Blind Harper– upbeat, fast song; kind of weird, jerky melody; fun to listen to, gets better in the second half 6) The White Cockade– slow song about love torn apart by war; pretty but kind of dull 7) Young James– kind of slow, but with pretty fiddle interlude in the middle 8) Falling– really slow, dull song; melody is just not interesting; guitar accompaniment 9) Bring Me A Boat– slow, but benefits from Rusby’s interesting technique here and the simple, repetitive, strong tune 10) Polly– slightly faster, happy song about love lost and then regained; still slow, but pretty 11) Sweet William’s Ghost– long, slow ballad that channels “Barbara Ann” in title and melody 12) Underneath the Stars– the title song is a little disappointing, but one of the prettiest ballads; slow, soft, but sweet