According To

Think of Mary Coughlan crooning Berliner cabaret in a post-grunge landscape. Imagine the archetypal spark of a Tori Amos lyric, only with an Ulster dimension and a harp revealing all manner of associations. That's the weird deal with Belfast musician Ursula Burns. If you've seen her perform, you'll have one set of expectations. You'll be listening out for the Deitrich-like snort of 'Continental Boys' ("Irish mothers spoil their sons/Ain't much good for a girl who likes fun"). You'll remember 'Alcoholic Monsters', which is a fun variation on Christy Moore's 'Delerium Tremens'. All that's absorbed on this record, but there's less flippancy and self-deprecation than you'd expect. Take, for instance, 'Kisses In The Wind', which echoes Van Morrison's 'Beside You', whirling up masses of loneliness, a powerfully forlorn mood.

Ursula's playing style recognises the sweet possibilities of her chosen intrument (and you might argue that 'All Is Gone' is a victim of that), but much of the time she fights back the cliches. And on 'Walk Into The Sun', she considers a personal folk history - previous generations of Belfast women who slaved in the linen mills - and delivers a pained account.

The music is framed by pipes, strings, even a clarinet. On her previous, Sinister Nips EP, she covered Portishead's 'Glory Box' with some success, but that experiment hasn't been furthered here. Still, According To is a bit special. Proof, against the odds, that groove is in the harp.