Clemency

On Emma Pollock’s confident third solo album she delves deep into her past, considering and expressing a multitude of emotions over 11 songs. That striking cover art is, in fact, a photo of Pollock’s father Guy Pollock, working the land near Blair Atholl, while ‘Harperfield’ is the name of the first house that he and her late mother Kathleen bought as a young married couple. Although In Search of Harperfield may not engage itself quite as directly with Pollock’s heritage as its title and cover art suggest - the lyrics here tend to be impressionistic rather than of a narrative bent - there’s a real sense of weight and history to these songs, directly stemming from Pollock’s contemplation of such themes. (That title’s no accident.)