The Shee: Continuum review – folk greats team up for memorable medley

This all-female British folk group celebrate their 10th anniversary in impressive style. Each of the six members was asked to commission a British folk hero to write an original piece for the Shee, and the response was remarkable. There are elegant and sturdy instrumentals from Kathryn Tickell and Andy Cutting, while the new songs include Martin Simpson’s poignant tribute to his unhappy mother, Karine Polwart’s tribute to Scottish singer and activist Mary Brooksbank, and Chris Wood’s setting of The Cradle Song, a quietly powerful poem of birth and death by Hugh Lupton. None of the distinguished composers actually appear, and they are not needed. The Shee are all classy musicians – their lineup includes the accordion star Amy Thatcher, singer and fiddler Olivia Ross and that fine harpist Rachel Newton – and here they get a chance to show their range. A sophisticated, unexpectedly emotional set.