Songlines Magazine ★★★

Bouzouki and piano jams

Boston-born fiddler Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe and bouzouki, guitar and piano player Daniel Quayle from the Isle of Man first began playing together as recently as early 2020 as part of Edinburgh's vibrant traditional music scene, and the duo have already released two singles together, ‘Daybreak’ (which is reprised here) and ‘Tasmania’.

Their debut album, produced like those singles in Tartu, Estonia by the team of Elijah Ivanov and Silver Lepaste as well as Davidson-Blythe and Quayle themselves, explores influences from the Isle of Man, Ireland, Scotland and Estonia, where the duo have proved a popular live attraction. Guesting with the pair on a couple of tracks are Manx fiddle player Tomas Callister and Scottish banjo player Ciarán Ryan, while David Kilgallon adds a lush string arrangement to ‘For Ewen’. It's a lively collection of instantly memorable instrumental tunes, largely composed by Davidson-Blythe, played with considerable verve and an obvious love for playing together that marks them out, even at this early stage in their joint career, as very viable contenders on the world stage.

Track to try: Daybreak