Despite many years of acclaim in folk music circles, June Tabor remains essentially unknown to a wider audience. This typically accomplished collection, so sure in setting and tone, will, of course, change little. Aleyn is much more than a folk record; there are traditional tracks like the gory story of Johnny O'Bredislee, but Tabor's canvass is broader, taking in, for example, Richard Thompson's doom-laden The Great Valerio, or Di Nakht, a Yiddish song which chillingly conveys the sense of isolation felt by European Jewry in the 1930s. Aleyn was recorded live and then stripped of audience noise. This explains the theatricality of her voice and the live feel of the thoughtful accompaniment. The listener provides the standing ovation.