Laura McGhee - 'Green Eyes'

Taysider Laura McGhee makes her debut with this hugely endearing collection of mainly co-penned songs and instrumentals that covers plenty of bases, from traditional folk ballads to Celtic flavoured pop, nearly always underpinned by plenty of spirited, if occasionally overwrought, fiddle playing. She admirably makes no attempt to hide her accent, a decision that works better on some tracks than others, the stand-outs being the lovely Autumn Fair, the heartfelt Tell It Tae The Lover and the exuberant title track. Pitched somewhere between The Proclaimers and Sinead Lohan, while the melodies are alternately sweet and jaunty, a little more strength and poignancy to the lyrics could have elevated Green Eyes from intriguing to outstanding. [Paul Greenwood]