Lullabies from Scotland

There are some lovely, sparkly moments in this self-descriptive album from 2015's BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year. The simplicity of the title reflects the impetus for the project: Hastings has a two-year-old daughter and, when she couldn’t find many recordings of Scottish lullabies online, decided to make them herself. The result is a mellifluous collection of cradle songs and bucolic idylls from the Borders to Shetland, along with one original. Singing in English, Scots and Gaelic, Hastings is joined by a handful of other musicians on piano, guitar, fiddle, etc, making for some superb instrumental sections that punctuate the tracks.

From the title, we shouldn’t expect a musical rollercoaster plumbing the depths of the human condition; this was never Hastings’ intention. In her own words, she “wanted to create a delicate folk album of relaxing songs, not just for families with children, but for everyone to enjoy.” She also stresses the importance of children's songs being a conduit for tradition – a fact often overlooked by folkies and non-folkies alike. It would normally be pejorative to say that an album could put one to sleep but, in this case, it's very much a compliment.