Nia Morgan’s debut, bilingual album is a stunningly beautiful collection of heartfelt songs that hold the power to affect even the hardest heart. If ever I heard an album with the sheer, simple strength to make me catch my breath, stop whatever it is I’m doing and just listen then this is it.

So here is the dilemma for me. Folk music, especially from the ubiquitous ‘female solo artist’, can be, well, very average in my opinion, and there’s lots of competition out there. This means that to make an impact within the genre, to actually create something unique within such a limited, well-worn structure is nigh-on impossible – or so I thought, until I discovered Nia Morgan’s self-titled debut album.

Nia’s voice is enchanting. Added to this is the fact that John Lawrence (he who is everywhere) recorded and produced this album whilst playing a multitude of instruments, including the pedal-steel guitar. John’s involvement in this album is a clear stroke of genius and adds real depth and texture to the album, but these songs are Nia’s creations.

She writes melodies and lyrics with a real deftness and has developed her skills to an extent that it is difficult to choose one or two tracks that stand out because to do that would imply that there are some songs on this album that are better than others, which is ludicrous. So instead I can’t recommend strongly enough that you listen to this entire album as one piece of work rather than a series of songs; just sit back and immerse yourself in this gorgeous folk creation.