Shadow Road Shining No label* * * *

Literary editor Ciara Sidine has taken her time with her recording debut, and the result is a finely rounded, richly produced album of Americana, powered by the twin engines of her vocals and lyrics so distilled they reveal fresh angles with each repeated exposure. Sidine's greatest strength is that she doesn't try too hard. Arrangements are spacious and unhurried, with Steve Wickham's violin and Conor Brady's guitar and banjo lapping at the feet of the songs. Her voice is as much at home with the minor chord melancholy of Hollow the Breezeas with the fluid opener, Riding Home, and her muted duet with Jack L, Constellations High,rings deep and lonesome into the ether. In some ways, Shadow Road Shiningis a collection out of time, rooted in the alt.country songwriting of the 1990s, but Sidine's self- possession suggests that she's in the driving seat, ready for the long haul. See ciarasidine.com

Download track: Mercy Moon