Julienne is a Scottish singer who first came to fame when she was featured on Virgin’s Scottish Moods album (traditional songs with a contemporary feel). Her debut album Racing The Clouds Home was released in 2000 featuring covers such as a Corrs-like version of Fleetwood Mac’s Second hand News. And the Sun has described her as Scotland’s answer to Eva Cassidy and Norah Jones.

Initial impressions of this follow up album are exceeding favourable. Again, it is for the most part (fifteen of the eighteen tracks) an album of covers. Now usually covers are pale inferior versions that make you want to bring your breakfast back. And even excellent singers like Eva Cassidy can struggle to add value.

But this album has a gentle ethereal quality - acoustic, strings, harp and multi layered vocals. It opens with All Out Of Love (Air Supply) and the nice thing about it, is the time sequence has been tampered with - making it familiar, but different. Pleasant stuff. And even a songs as familiar as Your Song and God Only Knows are delivered with unfamiliar twists.

Julienne’s vocals remind of a blended mix of Andrea Corr, Kate Bush, Judie Tzuke and Lene Marlin. They’re always well up-front in the mix and often multi layered to good effect. And of course, there’s the obligatory version of Fragile by Sting. Again, a pretty decent version.

So, Scotland’s answer to Eva Cassidy and Norah Jones? Perhaps not. The problem is, take any one, two or three tracks, and they’re excellent. Music to chill to. But when you get eighteen one after the other, it becomes just a little too sugar-coated and you begin to crave for something a little more spicy.

At the end of the day the album it’s a nice album with some excellent covers. And if you’ve had a hard day at the office, it’ll go well with the pipe and slippers. But don’t be surprised if you’re giving it Zs before track eighteen.

***

Review by Pete Whalley

Song Of The Siren
© 2004 River Records. All rights reserved.

Label website

***** Out of this world | **** Pretty damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly