Dipping into personal experience can for some artists be a dodgy old game, on the one hand it can create superb albums with a fire, anger and passion, reference John Martyn’s divorce/break up ‘Grace & Danger’ which veers between jealousy, pleading and confusion. On the other hand it can create a work so contained and unique that the intended audience can’t relate reference ‘Songs Of Love & Hate’ by Leonard Cohen surely one of the most depressing, draining records ever released. So, here’s Hannah Scott, a million miles from both of the afore mentioned musicians but dusting off her own back catalogue, the quiet enforced by the pandemic and family loss helped her reflection and rebuilding of the songs here on ‘Ancient Lights,’ the resulting EP.

It’s music for quiet corners and low lights, mostly thoughts and feelings buoyed on a softly picked guitar, gentle melodic piano as well as the warm burr of a cello, if you appreciate the more intimate creations of Nick Drake whose melancholia was endearing in its introspection, then there is much you’ll relate to on ‘Ancient Lights.’ Possessed of a singular vocal which heightens the delivery of the tracks, best on the closing ‘Goodnight Elisabeth,’ with it’s lullaby atmosphere or ‘Ghost Town,’ which has some stark lyrics ” you left me for dead, you could have killed me there and then,” Scott has all the markings of a decent contemporary folk artist whose upward trajection – supporting 10cc, Seth Lakeman, Madeleine Peryoux and sundry others – can only be enhanced by this release.

And just in case you were wondering where the title comes from, the house she was raised in was Tudor and had windows which were centuries old, the cover’s a reference to the their design and was created by her mother. Intriguing.

Simon Jones. 

hannahscott.co.uk