Kris Drever - Mark The Hard Earth

(Navigator Records)

Orkney-born Edinburgh resident, Kris Drever (son of Wolfstone’s Ivan), has been an integral part of Scotland’s folk scene for some time, although he’s only just turned 31. Taking time off from his LAU collaborative (he also worked on an album with John McCusker and Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble), Kris now delivers his sophomore solo outing having released Black Water in 2006.

With an array of big name musicians (producer McCusker, Phil Cunningham, Ewen Vernal, Tim O’Brien, Donald Shaw, Roy Dodds among others), stand-out tracks come via ‘This Old Song’, ‘The Crown of London’ and pearls featuring vocals from Heidi Talbot: ‘Allegory’, country staple ‘Sweet Honey In The Rock’ and ‘The Banks Of The Nile’.