Eddi Reader: Peacetime
Rough Trade RTRADCD233
www.roughtraderecords.com
This record will undoubtedly hit the mark in the folk charts, but it remains to be seen whether it will appeal to a wider audience. Given enough play on the easy listening programmes at weekends on BBC Radio 2, I guess it stands a very good chance. And chance is what it’s all about – success I mean not the record!
Eddi has a very fine voice in terms of quality but I question whether she has the required definitive characteristic which will mark her out from the ever growing field of fierce competition for success among female vocalists. I think we have probably reached the stage not too far off market saturation, so it will take something special for yet another big name to hit the heights.
Eddi Reader already has some recognition gained from her half dozen previous albums especially the success of her Robbie Burns project, and the choice of songs, arrangements and musicians here is clearly of the highest order. I just find her voice that little bit uninteresting enough to query whether this record is good enough to break through any significant barriers. In other words, perhaps it’s just a little bit dull.
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