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Eddi Reader has been making polished albums since the early nineties. Famous for the chart topping "Perfect with fair Ground Attraction" she carried a rabid little fan base with her who enjoyed her songwriting partnership with one of Britain’s finest writer Boo Hewerdine. Four years ago, she stumbled into another avenue when she recorded an entire album of Robert Burns songs. It was classy, almost classical and brought her Scottish roots to the fore. Working with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra embellished her CV and gained her some respect without her losing her earthy soul. The reason for her not disappearing into pretentious posh was surely to do with her musical collaborators on that project, the aforementioned Hewerdine and punk haired folk fiddling John McCusker.

For her follow up Reader has neither done an about turn to her poppier roots nor stayed exclusively Burns. She has done a masterful job and blended the best of both, again with big help from McCusker who produces and a good deal from Hewerdine who writes and plays guitar. It ends up being folk infused with half traditional songs and half more contemporary. If that makes you think that it will jar and jolt between styles then think again; it works. It is mainly due to that beautiful perfect Reader voice and delivery. She does not have that pure folk accent and therefore the traditional nature of songs and instrumentation are grace-notes for her vocal which is always the main thing.

Having said all that it is the new songs that really grab my attention though the Scottish brogue of "Aye Waukin-o" and "Leezie Lindsay" are lovely. "I Still Pray" is a spiritual gem of a song written by Trash Can Sinatra songwriter John Douglas. A song that juxtaposes faith and doubt but ultimately recognizes the dangers and cost of faith and prayer. Douglas’s other song "Prisons" also has a spiritual heart as it looks for forgiveness for sins and visions of resurrection. 

Hovering around the whole thing is the world at war and the London bombings of July 05. Indeed "Safe As Houses" was co-written with Hewerdine on the day of those bombs. It looks at the hatred that religion can breed but also how much love can be accentuated in the most violent of evil acts. Hewerdine’s title track is a vision of a world at peace, almost like CS Lewis gave us such an imaginary alternative in his novel _Perelandra_ that was also written in wartime. Reader confesses in the extensive liner notes how much she loves Irishman Declan O’Rourke’s "Galileo (Someone Like You)." It again reaches up for transcendence in some ways echoing Van Morrison’s hymn to personal and Divine love "Have I Told You Lately That I Love you." She writes that she hopes she did it justice; yes, Eddi beautiful justice.

Eddi Reader albums are always full of poetic songs, perfectly delivered. That voice and her arrangements are like laying your head in the lushest of cushions; your ears get a chance to languish. Do them a favour…

Steve Stockman

Steve Stockman is the Presbyterian Chaplain at Queens University, Belfast, Ireland, where he lives in community with 88 students. He has written two books Walk On; The Spiritual Journey of U2 which he is currently updating and The Rock Cries Out; Discovering Eternal Truth in Unlikely Music. He dabbles in poetry and songwriting and he has a weekly radio show on BBC Radio Ulster (listen anytime of day or night @ www.bbc.co.uk/ni/religion/rhythmandsoul). He has his own web page--Rhythms of Redemption at http://stocki.ni.org . He also tries to spend some time with his wife Janice and daughters Caitlin and Jasmine.