Eddi Reader – Eddi Reader (1992)

This is her second album but her first real solo recording.  After leaving the highly successful but short-lived ‘Fairground Attraction’ (recently reformed and one of my fave groups) she appeared in a television musical serial about the country and western scene in Glasgow, the brilliant ‘Your Cheating Heart’, which maybe because of English stubbornness regarding Glasgow accents flopped – although I do love the subsequent album.  Eddi is unashamedly Scottish and has even recorded a whole album of songs of Robbie Burns.  This eponymous album is rather lovely; the singing of course superb and expressive but the sings are well-crafted and occasionally witty too; some tracks a bit jazz-inflected.  Best are ‘The Patience of Angels’, ‘Dear John’ and ‘Joke (I’m Laughing)’.  She has released quite a few albums though I only have the first three or four…must get some more.