Linda Em
Album: Shadowlands
Label: Talking Elephant
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.lindaem.co.uk

Shadowlands is the debut album from Linda Em, an Irish singer songwriter with a warm sultry voice that draws you in to her songs.

"Muse" opens with drums, a guitar echoes, Linda sings and we are caught like rabbits in headlights "Are you a just a muse to me, or someone I'd long to see in the morning". It's immediate, it's catchy sassy retro pop as she examines exactly what she wants out of a relationship.

"The Dockers Tavern" follows and I'd swear I was listening to Imelda May, it's an atmospheric dramatic song. I rate it that highly.

Songs here that tell stories, offer perspectives, of strong women, of desires, of darkness interposed with deft light touches. Tracks written predominately by Linda Em and Chris Wyatt that flit like moonlight lovers across genres.

And so it continues mixing elements of soulful sounds ("Blue Girl" a laid back blues that smoulders), of Irish tinged folk ("The Brig Hannah" with a lovely lilting lifting violin courtesy of Jane Miller), of rockabilly ("Boom Di Di Boom") all of which is layered in sounds of the music of the Sixties and Seventies.

Shadowlands closes with "Borders" a song of loving and longing "meet me at the borders and I'll wait for you my dear. I want to know how our story ends". It's an impressive debut. Steal away.

Ian Cripps