The Ironworks, Inverness, 4 February 2012

CURRENTLY selling out venues across the country as she tours material from her new [amazon_link id=”B0066OBIYQ” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Rachel Sermanni’s Black Currents EP[/amazon_link] , in her ‘almost home gig’ Rachel Sermanni displayed the potent blend of whimsical song writing, compelling arrangements and uniquely expressive singing that has ensured her status as a rising star.

Rachel Sermanni

One of the elements that sets Sermanni apart from her singer-songwriter counterparts is her unique band set-up.  A tangible sense of fellowship exists between she and the three fiddlers – Laura Wilkie, Siobhan Anderson and Louise Bichen – and pianist Jen Austin, with whom she shares the stage. Their sensitive instrumental and vocal accompaniments transformed Sermanni’s songs into lavish, multi-layered arrangements.

The Fog, a word-rich, confessional meditation with ballad-like verses, demonstrated Sermanni’s impressive range and a growing confidence as a song writer. With ebbing and flowing backing vocals and syncopated fiddles, it was at once vibrant and dark; energetic and melancholy.

Yet Sermanni is equally captivating on her own. One of two songs to feature only she and her guitar, Humming Home, penned on a train journey back to the Highlands, resonated with emotion, and is perhaps one of her most overtly  ‘folk’ songs. The new EP’s lead track, Breathe Easy, described by the singer as having ‘two edges’, played on the recording’s preoccupation with dreams, the mellow, watery landscape brighter than the rest of its more brooding scenery.

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Songs from Sermanni’s debut recording, the quietly released [amazon_link id=”B005WNFQIQ” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Bothy Sessions[/amazon_link], also featured. The beautiful “about 50 seconds if you timed it” of Little Prayer was an intimate, close harmony gem featuring the voices of all five young women.  The lulling Sleep and driving, accusative Bones were other highlights, and are just two of her early accomplishments not yet released as recordings. Time will tell whether these will appear on her recently recorded full-length offering.

These are exciting times for Sermanni and her fans. Such is the depth and quality of the young singer’s music that it is easy to forget that she remains, as yet, unsigned. I’d hazard a guess that this won’t remain the case for long.

© Joanne Stephen, 2012

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