Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

The sixth album from Scottish singer/songwriter Yvonne Lyon sees the prolific songstress at the top of her game with a collection of songs that evoke sorrow, hope, joy and contemplation - sometimes all within the same breath. Once again with the help of multi-instrumentalist husband David Lyon and the Foundry Music Lab production duo of Graeme Duffin and Sandy Jones, this is arguably Lyon's most rounded piece of work yet thanks to a soundscape that sounds more organic than previous releases with songs such as the tender "Home", "The Boy With The Ocean In His Eyes" and the upbeat defiance of "Tell It Like It Is" being cases in point. To add further variety to proceedings, Lyon has chosen to employ the services of a raft of guest artists with the likes of folk singer Emily Smith providing vocal support on the gentle opener "My Love And Me" and Andrew 'Calamateur' Howie sharing singing and songwriting duties on the more intense "The Fury And The Sound" whilst the renowned Boo Hewerdine's co-writing credit on the evocative "The Girl On The Flying Trapeze" confirms Lyon's continued ascendance in the music world. Guest appearances aside, this is very much Yvonne's album and it is the devastatingly poignant but heartbreakingly hopeful ode to the passing of a friend's child "Shipwrecked" that sums up an unmissable album of sheer beauty from an artist whose output goes from strength to strength.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.