T on the Fringe: Maria McKee @ Cabaret Voltaire

Stripping her sound to a raw acoustic guitar or a lyrical piano, Maria McKee draws attention to her remarkable vocal prowess and her subtle song-writing skills. Shorn of band and over-blown arrangements, she re-invents herself as a traditional performer, capable of expressing complex emotions with clarity.

Since her early career in Lone Justice, McKee has been a prime exponent of Americana, country-tinged rock that has enjoyed a renaissance over the last decade. She can be gutsy and poignant, rescuing the hit A Good Heart from Feargal Sharkey's melodrama and scoring with a series of enticing piano ballads. Unfortunately, while her lyrics are subtle and evocative, her guitar playing is restrained. Songs blur together and her set lacks variety: even her engaging reminiscences fail to lift her show beyond predictability.

Many US folk singers and guitarists have discovered vital new ground, and her songs beg for more experimental instrumentation: otherwise, she sounds lost, a talented musician half-heartedly recreating herself as a folksy solo artist. It would be a shame for so clever and passionate a lyricist to disappear into a dead-end. [Gareth K Vile]