“There was one magical moment when a young woman stepped forward, took the spotlight and started to sing. Her voice resonated through the awe struck silence and immediately you knew you were listening to something very special indeed. That singer’s name was Emily Smith and she is now one of the hottest talents on the Scottish folk scene.”

Just the Facts

Emily Smith

• From Dumfries and Galloway, haunting grounds of Robbie Burns

• One time member of The Unusual Suspects, featured at Celtic Colours

• 2002 Traditional Musician of the Year at Celtic Connections

• With husband Jamie McClennan, released Adoon Winding Nith for the 2009 Scottish Homecoming

Some five years on The Unusual Suspects is very much alive and kicking. Although the band is generally made up of some 20 to 30 ‘regulars’ it has enjoyed the contributions of more than sixty musicians since it first performed at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall in 2003. Bowled over by the success of the project some of the key personnel linked up with their Canadian folk music counterparts to explore the possibility of creating something similar on the other side of the Big Pond. The result was The Unusual Suspects of Celtic Colours that premiered at the Savoy Theatre, Cape Breton later the same year.

The only time I heard The Unusual Suspects it was the incredible raw energy, and no small amount of individual skill and orchestral finesse, that grabbed the attention. Yet, no matter how exciting all of that was — and it was — there was one magical moment when a young woman stepped forward, took the spotlight and started to sing. Her voice resonated through the awe struck silence and immediately you knew you were listening to something very special indeed. That singer’s name was Emily Smith and she is now one of the hottest talents on the Scottish folk scene.

I caught up with Emily a few weeks ago in her hometown of Thornhill. As we spoke it was obvious that this corner of Dumfries and Galloway is where her heart lies. She is passionate about the landscape with its rolling hills cradling the valley of the river Nith and she openly enthuses about its history and the characters that have resided here over the centuries. This is her birthplace, her home and, most certainly in recent years, her inspiration.

Music in one form or another has always been part of Emily’s life. Her mother taught traditional Scottish Country and Irish dancing when she was younger. Smiling through the memories, Emily recollects dancing every Tuesday after school and all day on a Saturday. With a wry smile, and less enthusiasm, she recalls the classical piano lessons that contrasted sharply with a spell as a snare drummer in the local pipe band. Although the piano lessons were to stand her in good stead in the future, it was taking up the accordion that was to play a big part in shaping her musical career. Joining her teacher’s band she not only became a fine accordionist but also was nominated as the band’s singer. Until this point she had never done any serious singing. It would seem that although Emily may have been oblivious to her developing ability others were already aware of her natural talent.

Like so many youngsters she found herself about to leave school with no clear idea of what to do. At Emily’s age her mother had studied art and she considered following in her footsteps. She was about to take a gap year in order to prepare a portfolio and consider her options when a last minute opportunity arose for a place on a Scottish Music course at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. She auditioned and was accepted. The year was 1999.

A couple of years into her course she was encouraged to submit a demo tape for the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award. She recalls the excitement of being short-listed and having to perform at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall as part of the Celtic Connections festival. The excitement gave way to euphoria as Emily won the competition and became the 2002 recipient of the award in only its second year. Still one year away from gaining her honours degree it was the moment that was to launch her musical career. Even now when she talks about it, it is with a typically modest sense of disbelief.

With the win came the opportunity to record an album and to participate at various festivals throughout the coming year. Her thoughts switched to putting a band together to assist her. The problem was who to ask. Still struggling with that decision she went on tour to the Czech republic with her accordion teacher’s band, ‘Koda’. The band’s usual fiddle player was unable to make the trip and a young fiddler by the name of Jamie McClennan took his place. It was a switch that would have life changing consequences for Emily. Not only had she found the beginnings of her band, she had also found her future husband. The remainder of the band fell into place quickly from the pool of musical talent that they both knew.

In November of 2002 Emily released her first album, A Day Like Today. Alongside her on that debut album were Jamie McClennan (fiddle), Ross Ainslie (border pipes and whistles) and Sean O'Donnell (guitar and vocals), with a couple of tracks featuring Neil Cameron on double bass. Emily reflects that this first album was very much “a snapshot of where I was at that time – just starting out” with the choice of material being “all the traditional songs that I really knew”. It certainly got her noticed. Although predominantly a reworking of traditional material with some new melodies and arrangements, it provided a taster of her own song-writing talent in the title track. Her ability on both piano and accordion were evident but it was her voice that stole the show. The quiet ballads such as Time Wears Awa and Fair Helen of Kirkconnel display the amazing clarity of her voice. It is soft and delicate, yet with a benign underlying power that stirs the blood.

In 2003 Emily gained her honours degree and continued touring with her new band. Her passion for history and her search for new material intertwined more and more with her song-writing abilities. She was also working with more musicians acquiring new and varied influences. This was to become more apparent in her second album ‘A Different Life’, released in January 2005. Although the first album was very well received this one lifted the bar quite a few notches. A richer, fuller and more mature sound dominates with some excellent musicianship from both Emily and Jamie but also from a larger musical cast. It displays a varied mix of material with Emily’s piano playing and singing especially emotive on tracks such as the one she wrote for her Polish grandmother, Always a Smile. Another self-penned song founded in the history of the local community is the tragic tale of Edward of Morton. ‘A Different Life’ also contains some excellent instrumental tracks. On no account would I wish to take away from the quality of the musicianship that is quite superb but, once again, it is that sensational silken voice of Emily’s that makes it all work so effectively.

Spreading her wings ever further it was the two songs Edward of Morton and Always a Smile that justifiably were to get her song writing skills noticed later the same year. The former won the folk section of the USA Song writing Competition and the latter was to finish in the top ten. It was the first time a Scot had won the competition.

2008 saw the release of her third album ‘Too Long Away’. A beautiful mixture of traditional and self penned songs. What becomes more apparent in this album is the personal nature of the music. She sings from the heart with a real sense of passion and with a belief and confidence in her own ability as a songwriter. Some wonderful arrangements and thoughtful musical accompaniment take this album to new levels with the assistance of Jamie McClennan (fiddle, backing vocals and piano), Ross Milligan (guitar), Duncan Lyall (double bass), Luke Plumb (mandolin), Alyn Cosker (drums and percussion) and Sarah Murray (cello). There are no less than five songs penned by Emily with others co-written or arranged by her. Of her own songs, these vary from the beautiful Sunset Hymn, to the melancholic Old Mortality and to my personal favourite, the haunting Audience of Souls inspired by the graveyard of Tynron Churchyard by Thornhill. However her voice is perhaps nowhere as beautiful as in Come Home Pretty Bird or Winter Song. The album also has a mixture of livelier material in May Colven and Caledonia. ‘Too Long Away’ is a very polished and well thought out mix that shows yet a further depth and sensitivity to Emily’s work. If you are unfamiliar with her material I would suggest that this is the album to go for – you will certainly not regret it. It is also fitting that it should have a Robert Burn’s track, As I was a Wand'ring, for Emily’s home is only a few miles from Ellisland Farm where Burns spent three years of his life.

Emily will concede to having had a little too much of Burns as a schoolchild — a consequence of sharing a geographical proximity albeit a couple of centuries apart. Now she realises the significance of his work and the rich sources of additional material that it opens up for her. That is why, as part of Scotland’s Homecoming 2009 celebrations, Jamie and she have launched ‘Adoon Winding Nith’. It is a brand new album celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns and is comprised of some lesser-known works by Scotland’s national bard. As described on Emily’s website it is ‘an upbeat, happy, optimistic album. There are no broken hearts, no sad endings, just songs celebrating love, beauty and good times’.

Apart from Duncan Lyall featuring on double bass, Emily and Jamie provide the rest of the music. Mostly the tracks are carefully reworked traditional tunes although Emily provided new melodies for Lassie Lie Near Me and A Man’s A Man For A’ That. ‘Adoon Winding Nith’ is a beautiful anthology of Burn’s works that are given a fresh and yet local feel. The album is aptly titled and is highly evocative of a leisurely summer journey down the River Nith. Excellent close harmonies, piano, accordion and fiddle music resurrect the characters and places of Burn’s life on route. The album also includes a superb rendition of Silver Tassie and an equally excellent Lassie Lie Near Me to Emily’s new melody. I have to confess that these two tracks especially have been played to excess since I got the album a couple of weeks back.

Emily has featured on the BBC’s 2009 Auld Lang Syne Show from Scotland and has also recorded for the Transatlantic Sessions. Although she enjoys recording work she admits that she loves the buzz of live performances. She has now toured in many nations around the world and has sung and played alongside some of the best-known names such as Eddi Reader, Richard Thompson, Beth Neilsen Chapman, John McCusker, Karine Polwart, Phil Cunningham, North Cregg and David Scott.

If you haven’t heard of Emily Smith yet, then don’t wait any longer. She has come a long way over the last few years and, if her latest work is anything to go by, is destined for still better things. Her songs have real roots burrowing ever deeper into Scottish soil and they blossom with one of the most captivating voices you will ever listen to.

For more information about Emily Smith see her website at www.emilysmith.org

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