Straight up folk in the Scottish traditional sense: Enter Hannah Rarity and Land o’ the Leal from Hannah’s excellent debut long-player, Neath The Gloaming Star (September 2018). Sung with the true presence in the moment, Land o’ the Leal wrenches figurative (if not real) tears from the listener. Hannah’s voice is sheer beauty, ringing with sincerity and depth. She feels this music as much as sings it, and the experience for the listener is palpable.

Each track on Neath The Gloaming Star is a beautiful gem, albeit stuck in a tempo that is quite slow. If there is any complaint here, it is that the only two examples of traditional folk that scamper away from the slow pace are the mid-tempo Alison Cross and the only slightly more upbeat (than the other nine tracks), Erin Go Bragh. From a simple textural, varietal, stand-point, it would have been good to have at least one more faster-paced track included and have them dispersed a little bit more throughout the long player, rather than having them all towards the end. That’s a small complaint about an otherwise brilliant and beautiful collection of traditional folk music sung by an amazingly talented artist.

You can find more information on Hannah Rarity by heading up to her very complete and informative website. You can pick up Neath The Gloaming Star both as a download or physical copy, from Hannah’s bandcamp.com site, or pick up physical copies from her website store link. 

Take a listen to some beautifully executed traditional folk music from an impressive talent now! Neath The Gloaming Star is the perfect addition to any diverse musical collection.