Alyth McCormack - People Like Me

If you’re a fan of Kate Rusby’s music but find her quintessential Englishness just a tad cloying, then look no further than Alyth McCormack. This songstress takes Rusby’s storytelling warble and weaves in a dash of Scottish patriotism. Opener Nuair Bha Mi Og is the perfect introduction, where Alyth reminds you of the beauty of Gaelic that gets lost on Dè a-nis? The accompaniment is a lush tapestry of traditional Scottish flute and deep piano chords. Only when the saxophone (which could have been lifted from the GMTV theme music) kicks in do things get a little cheesy. Elsewhere, Alyth takes a Scottish slant on English ballads like A Smuggler’s Prayer, and sometimes she just can’t help herself but go for a full-on foot-stomping, arm-flinging ceilidh number. Though People Like Me may be found on the shelves of Hebridean tourist information centres beside Jock McTaggart and his Highland Pipers' '80s classics cover albums, its audience will surely be wider. [Gordon Bruce]