Album Review: Lisa Lambe – Juniper

The cross-section between Irish folk and American country is always interesting, and Lisa Lambe's 11-track ode to nature is no exception.

The whole album was recorded live at Attica Studios in Donegal, which renders it warm and intimate. It's the kind of feeling we're all craving these days – Juniper plays like you're listening to it in a crowded, quiet venue rather than listening to it through tinny speakers in your sitting room.

The actress and singer has captured a truly beautiful vocal tone on Juniper, and the title track is an absolute standout, where Lambe marries a Celtic quality with her Joy Williams-esque voice, in a song "sparked by a boldly gnarled juniper tree spotted on an isolated bog road". 'Someone Like You' sees Lambe leaning into the country aspect of the album.

“The purpose of the project was to capture the lightning of making music,” she says. "With this recording, there was a huge desire in me to find the tribe of musicians and listeners to go on a completely new journey with me. All the elements came together, and the result is a vast landscape of colour and sound not tied to one nationality or genre but instead to the notion of a tribe.”

7/10