Laura Cantrell

I first came across Laura back in '92 when she guested on the They Might Be Giants track, "The Guitar". The vocal performance was to the tune of the lion sleeps tonight.

I vaguely remember thinking at the time that it under utilised a great voice, not to say guitarist. Here we are ten years plus later and an album or two down the line, both squeezed in since '99, that I finally get to hear what she can do live.

There's a good sense of anticipation here, Laura has worked hard honing her skills on the road. She's toured with Elvis Costello, been raved about by John Peel and recorded two great albums.

But, I missed the tours and Cambridge is giving me the opportunity to put that right. To quote the Glasgow Hearald "Laura Cantrell posseses a wonderful voice, half Nanci Griffith, half Emmylou Harris. Better still, the relative newcomer has a knack for writing mournful country-pop gems without descending into sentiment." It's time to hear it in the raw.