Every so often a woman turns me to jelly. The last time was Alison Krauss with 'Through The Morning, Through The Night' on last year’s collaboration with Robert Plant - who was the bit player in that partnership as far as I was concerned. I don't know what it is, but I know it when it hits. And now the exquisite textured voice of folk maiden Heidi Talbot has done it. Her voice has several facets: breathy and trembling or full bodied and honey-toned; the Irish lilt coming to the fore for the more traditional tracks. There is a mix of Norah Jones, Natalie Merchant and Sinead O’Connor.Born in rural Ireland, she studied at the famous Bel Canto singing school in Dublin (O’Connor was another former pupil) before migrating to New York at 18 with a brother, a thousand dollars, and no clue what to do next. Luckily she soon found work singing, progressing from a wedding band to the bar and club circuit that then led to her being invited to join Irish-American roots group Cherish The Ladies - a sort of female Chieftains. She released two previous solo albums, but now after leaving them to settle in Edinburgh she is properly preparing for the spotlight, assisted here by contributions from a glowing collection of friends: such as Eddi Reader, Boo Hewerdine (who also produces and wrote two songs), Neill McColl, fiddler John McCusker, and a couple of members of Capercaillie amongst others.However, there are some caveats. Talbot has selected a wide variety of songs from a broad musical canvas to break away from the 'traditional folk' pigeonhole: "Sometimes it's the melody, sometimes it's the story or sometimes I'll hear a line I can identify with, whatever the style. ... I've been trying to think of it as a whole ... I've been more aware of how the tracks fit together, and how the mood varies between them." All that is strange, because it's some of the selections that I have trouble with. The Inkspots' 'Whispering Grass', Tom Waits' 'Time' and a couple of others are dreamily tender, but to be harsh, tending to anaemic forays into Madeleine Peyroux territory. However pretty, her voice is much more effective leading the song with her instinctive natural phrasing rather than following a melody laid down by the band.It's in the traditional folksier middle of this album that it really blooms, due in no small part to the great fiddle playing. Narrative Scottish ballad 'Glenlogie' is the first to really stand out. 'The Music Tree' is a gently joyous jig with a hint of Cajun triangle to add to the fiddle and accordion break. 'Parting Song' is slow and sorrowful, with her ancestral origins most clearly audible, but it is country-tinged 'The Blackest Crow' that is the stand out track. Orcadian singer Kris Drever duets and I'm a sucker for a plaintive fiddle. I don't want to force her back in to that pigeonhole, but it's in that vicinity where Talbot seems to be is at her most distinctive and at her best. 'Everything' is a decent upbeat acoustic romp, 'Cathedrals' almost poppily melodic (but still acoustic), and opener 'If You Stay' a crossover ballad that allows her alluring voice to impress from the off.Soon you will also hear Heidi Talbot appearing on Radiohead drummer Philip Selway's forthcoming solo effort, and the new collaboration between John McCusker, Kris Drever and Idlewild's Roddy Woomble. She will be touring with that trio and Boo Hewerdine later in the year. I think I'll be there. There will be goosebumps. And that touch of something special marks the album up, despite the blemishes. 78%Links Heidi Talbot [official site] [myspace]