My Secret Is My Silence

Roddy Woomble

Better known as the frontman to Scottish rockers Idlewild, Woomble here leaves behind the monster riffs and hard rockin' drums to embark on his own journey through a Scottish folk odyssey all of his own.

He has a fine deep voice that is wonderfully well suited to a more introspective musical milieu. The album has Scotland running through it thematically, whether overtly with pipes and fiddle or more subtly with the sense of scale and alone-ness (not loneliness) that the Highlands evoke. That he is a fine and talented songwriter was never in doubt, here he crafts some wonderfully considered songs that get their punch as much from the space present within them than the instruments packed into them.

Mind you, when you look at the goldmine of friends who lent their talent to the project, it would be unlikely that the product would be anything other than highly polished. Produced by John McCusker and featuring contributions from Rod Jones, Kate Rusby, Karine Polwart , Michael McGoldrick, Michael Angus (from Foxface), Ailidh Lennon and David Gow amongst many.

Woomble pulls off the trick of producing an album that takes Scottish folk ballads as it's foundation, then builds upon it in a celebration of scotland without falling into the bear trap of sounding like a musical heritage theme park. He celebrates the land and what it means to be Scottish.

Some tracks feature barely more than vocals and gently plucked guitar, others do indeed rock out, reminiscent of the Waterboys. Having the guitarist of Idlewild, Rod Jones, involved musically and as a writer means that this is not a complete departure or volte-face for Woomble. The previous Idlewild album had a folk tinged edge to it, here Woomble connects even more with the earthiness of his homeland.

A fine recording from a first rate collection of musicians.

Iain Hazlewood