Widdershins

Sarah-Jane Summers and Juhani Silvola have an instinctive, magical musical relationship. Summers’ Scottish heritage (manifest in her work with the brilliant fiddle quartet RANT) and Silvola's emergence as a leading guitarist on the Finnish scene complement each other beautifully in the pair's new homeland of Norway.

While Widdershins (a great Scots word meaning going against the norm) is a fantastic showcase for traditions close to both of their hearts, it is also a deep insight into their intuitive approaches to both performing and arranging. As a record producer, Silvola has a finely tuned ear for colour, texture and space – allowing Summers’ sense of playfulness to weave threads both mischievous and moving through the entire album.

Silvola's ‘Silver Spring Reel’ is simply unforgettable, while Summers’ title-track is a sort of blues meets Finnish runo song – with something eerie and of-the-night about it. These are two musicians at their peak; their combined skills as composers, arrangers and performers have positioned them as one of the finest folk duos around.