Life in a Paper Boat

This is Kate Rusby's 14th studio album in nearly 25 years as an artist – quite an achievement. Life in a Paper Boat features strings, guitars, percussion and electronic effects, all supporting her distinctive and long-familiar vocals. The lush production and thick instrumental textures give Rusby's music a warmth and sheen that mostly reinforces its strengths. The upbeat numbers here are particularly fine, particularly ‘Only Desire What You Have’, a Celtic-inspired tune driven by whistle (from Michael McGoldrick) and the traditional ‘Pace Egging Song’, an anthem with supporting whistle, flute and bouzouki.

The distinctive timbre of Rusby's voice suits the slower tracks even better, but her ballads – frequently laden with echo effects – sometimes don’t have the melodies or narrative direction to take flight. Something completely different concludes the album. A bonus track, ‘Big Brave Bill’, celebrates a Yorkshire tea-drinking Barnsley superhero, invented by Rusby as a bedtime story for her daughters. With its tongue-in-cheek militarism, featuring brass, snare and kettle drum, the tune makes for an amusing coda.