Human Child

by Chris NicksonHuman Child is Eivør Pálsdóttir's most readily accessible album to date, although given that each project is so different from the one before it, that's perhaps only to be expected at some point. Nor does that mean it's out and out pop, by any means. Probably the easiest way to categorize it is as an album that -- at times at least -- straddles the border between Celtic and country. Pálsdóttir is accompanied by some heavy hitters, like Dónal Lunny (who also produces) and Davy Spillane, both longtime pros able to provide exactly the backing she needs. The title cut certainly has its legs spread wide across the Atlantic, a lovely, gentle piece that sets a mood that's largely sustained until the torrid "Mother Teresa," one of the best songs Pálsdóttir's written, dark, electric, and quite rock-ist. Notably, this time out virtually everything (except the closer, "Elisabet og Elinborg") is sung in English, bringing the hopes for a wider audience. By comparison to much of her other work, this seems quite calm and centered, and definitely deserving of a good hearing.