
MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER, JULIE FOWLIS, KARINE POLWART
Looking For The Thread (Thirty Tigers)
A project borne out of lockdown, this unusual collaboration between three, independently, highly successful artists is an interesting one. Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart are stars of the Scottish folk scene and have collaborated before, as part of Spell Songs; there’s a decade between them but they very much occupy a similar musical space.
Mary Chapin Carpenter, meanwhile, is Americana royalty and another 10 years older than Polwart. Not that age matters in music – and the Scottish singers trade in tales that are hundreds of years old – but Carpenter does stick out somewhat on this nevertheless beautiful album.
Its title is an apt one, and this is a collection of songs that you could imagine working better live, where every member of the trio is given their chance to shine. No Scots-American soundscape appears; each writer’s songs feel complimented by the inclusion of the others, but the collaboration doesn’t feel vital. Regardless, they are all fantastic writers and utterly professional performers – and there’s a chance to catch them on tour in March.
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES