The Wainwright Sisters, Songs In The Dark - album review

Download: Prairie Lullaby; Lullaby; Lullaby For A Doll; Long Lankin

The Wainwright Sisters, Songs In The Dark

If ever an album merited the epithet “charming”, this is it: a selection of lullabies sung by Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche with spellbinding harmonies.

This is immediately apparent from the spookily intimate way their voices just burst into “Prairie Lullaby”.

As ever, it’s a family affair, with Martha’s mother Kate McGarrigle’s reminiscence of doll-play passed to daughter, “Lullaby For A Doll”, given suitably poignant, whimsical treatment, alongside pop Loudon’s typically droll “Lullaby”, while cousins Lily and Sylvan Lanken gain an eerie pertinence through their contributions to a gorgeous acappella rendering of “Long Lankin”.

It’s a wonderful collection, with even Richard Thompson’s cold-comfort message in “End Of The Rainbow” imbued with a warm glow.