With the release of BLOOM, her 5th full length album since 2014, Siobhan Miller solidifies a presence in the upper echelons of UK folk music. The Scottish roots may drive the music, but this is an artist more than keen to hit the road to all corners of our isles. With familiar names Kris Drever and Euan Burton in key supportive roles, the enchanting vocal and arranging talent of this much lauded singer comes to the fore across a neat round number of ten tracks handpicked from a multiple of sources.
Four traditional pieces make the cut for this enticing release headed by firm favourites 'I'm a Rover' and 'Wild Mountain Thyme'. You could ask how many versions of the latter are needed, but these songs exist for interpretation and to be further propelled into a future showcasing an enriched past. The former of this pairing will boost the live repertoire with a buoyant demeanour and associated links with The Dubliners in full flow.
The other two songs from an undocumented past include 'Cold Blows The Past' surfacing after the album cranks into gear and 'The Swan Sings' serenading the listener as the record passes the centre point. Both hold their own in a release blessed with multiple highs.
When dipping into the work of noted writers, the mood sways from established songs like a take on Ewan MacColl's 'Go, Move, Shift' to more contemporary efforts like the excellent 'Saturday Night'. This cut from Canadian songwriter David Francey underpins the latter stages of BLOOM housing the vocals of Siobhan Miller in their chiselled glory. Alongside this album peak, an updated cover of Rab Noakes' 'Open All Night' displays the breadth of the song selection and a keen nod to file the music of established living luminaries in a renewed format.
Safe ground is sought for the album launch slot. 'Queen of Argyll' has had a rich past and a future in the charmed wrap of Siobhan Miller can be a force for good. One of the more interesting inclusions is the story content to 'The Battle of Waterloo', a song surfacing in the early 2000s c/o Jim Malcolm attached to a traditional tune. Davie Robertson's 'Star O' the Bar' gets a makeover from its club roots to flourish in the hands of a singer equally at home on bigger stages.
Whether the view is taken that Siobhan Miller has opted for safe ground in the song selection or tempted to court variable comment from the floor, it can't be argued that BLOOM does exactly what it says in the title. A prime album from a pristine singer.
