Bliss

Miranda Sykes

This is the second album from Miranda Sykes, the vocalist, double bassist and guitarist who can be heard on many other artists work. She's played with a veritable who's who on the acoustic scene over the last few years, everyone from Show Of Hands to Kirsty McGee has featured her in their work.

With Bliss she steps to the foreground and gives us her treatment of the pick of the material she is drawn to. And what a selection, from Kirsty McGee to Steve Knightley via Sting. Where she realy scores is in the assurance of the arrangements and the freshness of her interpretation. She steps firmly into the jazz arena, her rich and tender vocals sounding very comfortable there.

Collaborators on the album include Maartin Allcock (Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull), Roy Dodds (Fairground Attraction), Rabbit Bundrick (The Who, Free) and Phil Beer (Show of Hands, Albion Band, Mike Oldfield Band). Despite such a daunting range of talent Miranda stamps her style on the recording firmly, if there was ever any doubt this demands she be taken seriously as an artist in her own right.

Listening to this on a summer evening really does send one into a state of bliss.

Iain Hazlewood