The sophomore long-player from the English folk singer and multi-instrumentalist,
Shelter arrives just one year after the electrifying
Queen of Hearts,
Olivia Chaney's 2017 collaboration with the
Decemberists under the
Offa Rex moniker. The latter outing, an homage to late-'60s and early-'70s British-folk-rock, bristled with intent, skillfully evoking the eclecticism of bands like
Pentangle,
Fairport Convention, and
Steeleye Span --
Chaney's performance alone was worth the price of admission. Like her 2015 debut,
Longest River,
Shelter is a more uncomplicated affair, with less attention paid to traditional folk songs (there are two, and both are delightful, as is a compelling rework of the
Tex Ritter-penned "Long Time Gone") and a tighter focus on slow-burn originals that owe more to
Blue-era
Joni Mitchell and early
Kate Bush than they do
Maddy Prior and
Jacqui McShee --
Sandy Denny remains both a sonic and lyrical linchpin.
Chaney's songs eschew linear trad-folk narratives in favor of a more impressionistic and poetic approach, but there is an overarching current that runs through
Shelter's ten cozy cuts. Composed in the rustic 18th century cottage in the North Yorkshire moors that has served as her family retreat over the years, the notion of solitude -- and its myriad benefits/drawbacks -- is at the heart of the aptly named collection. That sense of isolation is mirrored by the sparse instrumentation. When
Chaney isn't going it alone, she's joined by longtime collaborator Jordan Hunt, and the austere production work by
Thomas Bartlett (aka
Doveman), who also plays on the album, only adds to the overall sense of intimacy. Still, even at her most unguarded,
Chaney's robust voice commands the room, deftly weaving between the intersecting lanes of vulnerability and raw power with remarkable poise, especially on standout cuts like "Dragonfly," "Roman Holiday," and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," the latter of which uses the "cockles and mussels alive, alive oh" refrain from the traditional Irish ballad "Molly Malone" to devastating effect. ~ James Christopher Monger