Given the peripatetic theme of her debut album, it's not surprising that Jennifer Byrne travelled to Scotland to record it. Byrne, Dublin-born and Wexford-based, admits that she's taken time finding her voice. But Suitcase, produced in Glasgow by singer-songwriter Boo Hewerdine, is a quietly assured collection that combines new and old material to tell tales of love, loss and leaving. It falls into that folk space occupied by Cara Dillon and Heidi Talbot, where trad and contemporary make comfortable soulmates. Hewerdine's deft production allows tracks such as the traditional Moorlough Shore and Byrne's own Suitcase of Paper to make common cause. Her soft voice has a touch of grit and character, shown to good effect on her ballad, Strawberry Hills, and Hewerdine's haunting Wild Wild Wind, but she perhaps needs to assert herself more. jenniferbyrne.co.uk
Download: Strawberry Hills, Wild Wild Wind