Rating: Five star

KATHRYN Williams is Carly Simon without the rhymes, Joni Mitchell without the jarring political reflections and a folk sound without cheesecloth.

This album is pure poetry, and as a re-release from only last year, destined to grace the CD collection of many who know what's hip and happening.

Kathryn's voice is gentle and breathy, her arrangements, centring on acoustic and classical guitar, cello, restrained drums and a good measure of pizzicato - quite beautiful.

Her songs are from the soul, focussing on lost loves, maybe loves, never-made-it loves, lending an undeniable air of misery to some of the tracks.

This plying of emotions could leave the listener just the wrong side of bleakness if it weren't for the hearty Latin percussion on others.

The sensitivity and precision of Kathryn's lyrics, which caught the eye of nominating judges in last year's Mercury Music Prize, is well displayed in the third track, simply called Stood.

This simple song tells the poignancy of a teenage crush: I used to follow you round in a casual way/Miss good shows/On the radio/Just to see your face/And you just stood.

With rumours of a single due to be released from her forthcoming third album, the audience for Kathryn's captivating blend of angst and harmony should deservedly broaden.

SCC