Lindsay Straw - My Mind From Love Being Free

When Montana-born Lindsay Straw started at Berklee College of Music, it wasn’t her film score studies which captured her attention, but rather Boston’s thriving British and Irish folk scene. Nearly a decade later, My Mind From Love Being Free is the result of her continuing passion for the traditional music of the British Isles.

Her debut album combines the music of Scotland and Ireland with an inimitably American vocal style and the result Is certainly successful.

Straw’s voice is gorgeous and is perfectly capable of carrying off the a capella contributions - Lord Lovat and When I Was In My Prime. However, she is at her best when accompanied by her joyous finger-picking guitar style. The guitar work is dexterous and interesting without getting in the way of that lovely voice - The Bonny Light Horseman is a perfect example of this.

Whether on the upbeat tracks such as Lovely Molly - surely the highlight of the album - or more downbeat numbers like The Mermaid, Straw maintains the high standard. Her interpretations of these traditional songs - some well-known, some less so - manage to remain interesting without betraying their origins.

The final track of the album is the cheerful Lurgy Stream - a fitting finale to an excellent debut album. A decade in the making, but My Mind From Love Being Free has finally announced Lindsay Straw onto the folk scene in magnificent style.