‘Crown Electric’ opens with the jauntiest of tunes, a track called ‘Underground’. It’s entirely representative of Kathryn Williams’ style: a story of love and life, with many a bitter twist but packing a super-sweet ending, set to the prettiest folk-pop.

‘Crown Electric’ might be this Liverpool-born singer’s most-immediate (read: poppiest) album yet, and she’s had plenty of practise until this point – preceding this set is another nine studio collections.

Everything here gels wonderfully well. There’s booming percussion and spiralling strings on ‘Count’, while ‘Morning Twilight’, a co-write with Ed Harcourt, is heart-breaking stuff.

Williams’ northern tones are softly spoken, yet richer than ever and full of character. Throughout this tenth long-player, treats aplenty become apparent. ‘Darkness Light’ builds to a proper big finish; later, ‘Tequila’ brings to mind the work of Françoise Hardy, and there’s space for a collaboration with James Yorkston. 

A delight from start to finish, ‘Crown Electric’ finds its maker in amazing form, with select tracks showcasing a whole new dimension to her material.

8/10

Words: Gemma Hampson

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Stream tracks by Kathryn Williams via Deezer, below…