With all the delicious nuances found in Rebsie Fairholm’s music, a mere folk classification could be considered somewhat misleading and restrictive. “Mind the Gap,” a phrase most often heard in London’s tube stations, becomes a playful warning as to the amalgamated historical portents one is about to engage in while listening to this stunning CD. Fairholm’s voice is firmly rooted in a pre-Roman Britain with its sprites, pixies, and Celtic mythos. And what a voice it is – pure, unadorned, free from over-indulgence and the multi-affectations that riddle so many voices of our era. It is a story-telling voice from the sylvan woodlands, beautific in its slight shyness and soft allurement – like silk to the bruises of the modern world. One will encounter lush retellings of old tales, from the ethereal waltzes of “Round Window” and “Blackbirds & Thrushes” to the Gaelic elegy found in “MacCrimmon’s Lament.” But Fairholm does not stop at being some sacred relic from Britain’s utopian past – much of her music is sprinkled with marvelous modern interpolations. The Gothic “Unquiet Grave” and “She Moves through the Fair” are treated most exquisitely with an Eno/Aphex electronic ambience, bringing the listener to the precipice of the aforementioned ‘gap.’ Edgar Allan Poe’s ominous poem, “Spirit of the Dead,” is rendered with a lithe sense of performance poetics with all the correct sonic embellishments subtly applied by the singer. The CD also includes a quite magical adaptation of an early and underappreciated Pink Floyd song, “Julia Dream,” where Roger Water’s searching voice is replaced by Fairholm’s knowing one. Out of respect for this mesmerizing work, I shall refrain from making too many convenient comparisons, although Fairholm would keep good company with Kate Bush, Emma Anderson (of Lush), Sheila Chandra, Emiliana Torrini, Sally Oldfield, Maggie Reilly, and the Mediaeval Baebes. Cleverly, she surrounds herself with strong musicians as evidenced by the mandolin, classical guitar, slide guitar, and violin heard on “Mind the Gap.” This is a thoroughly worthwhile musical adventure and I urge you to answer Fairholm’s delightful siren call.

Rebsie Fairholm updates the beauty of traditional folk songs with lovely, technology-tinged arrangements. Her excellent voice is always featured amidst acoustic and subtle electronic instruments. This CD is fine for the traditionalist, and heaven for those looking for a well-crafted aural experience.

After first receiving acclaim as a playwright for her drama This Wretched Splendour, Rebsie Fairholm (née Rebecca Wilby) turned her considerable talents to music. Mind the Gap, her first full-length album, is the richly rewarding result. To get a sense of her music, imagine soulfully sung, somewhat psychedelic settings of Celtic folk music, inhabiting a soundscape that shares common ground with Brian Eno’s Another Green World and the twilight dreaminess of Mazzy Star. Fairholm sings and plays keyboards, acoustic guitar, Celtic harp, and electric bass. Other musicians add mandolin, didgeridoo, and uileann pipes to this vital, vibrant marriage of tradition and technology. Using Macintosh’s GarageBand home recording tools, Fairholm began posting her music on the Macjams site about three years ago. This lead to collaboration with songwriter and mandolin player, William Shaw, with whom—as the duo Revolving Doris—she recorded and released a five-song EP, Imber. When Doris split up, she decided to press on as a solo artist. Over its 46 minutes Mind the Gap contains a surprising diversity of material within an overall aural unity. There are covers of traditional songs, early Pink Floyd (“Julia Dream”), and the Watersons; an eerie narration of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Spirits of the Dead”; and two strikingly different originals, the alternative rock-inflected “Leafblower” and the more impressionistic “Round Window.” Bob Dylan once sang of empty rooms “where the angels’ voices whisper to the souls of previous times.” Rebsie Fairholm’s voice and music make the sounds I imagine echoing through those empty rooms. CD Title: Mind the Gap Artist: Rebsie Fairholm Label: The Lost Records (TLR00060) Review written by: Michael K. Kivinen