Kathryn Williams and Neill MacColl - Two

The musical matrimony of Kathryn Williams, queen of contemporary British folk, and someone from a creative lineage as prestigious as Neill MacColl (his Da wrote The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and his mother is Peggy Segger) should be one made in Heaven - or wherever it is burnt out troubadours go when they perish. Regrettably, the unimaginatively titled Two, is little more than a nice, polite stroll through the motions and pales in comparison to Williams' solo work. Her vocal contribution is as wistful as ever… flawless despite not having the tunes to support it. MacColl's is less so. The tracks on which he takes lead (see Innocent When You Dream) suffer for that very reason, but his main role is that of a wallflower. Rare zeniths demonstrate what might have been: the rising strings on Shoulders enveloping Williams' voice is an all too rare moment of beauty on a set destined to be forgotten. [Finbarr Bermingham]