Astrid Williamson is a witch. Not one like the Wicked Witch of the East. No, Williamson is more suggestive of that baddies’ nemesis, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

Hailing from the Shetland Isles, Williamson breathes lyrics more than actually sings them. Reminiscent of fellow Brighton resident Natasha Khan aka Bat for Lashes in that regard, seductive merely begins to describe the effect her music has on your ears. Let alone on other organs.

Her stepfather, the founder of the Shetland Folk Festival, introduced her to a world of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Spam. Later, she would embark on a classical music path, earning a music degree from the Royal Scottish Academy in Glasgow before becoming the Groucho Club’s resident pianist. Past lives that offer more than a faint echo on her third solo release, Day of the Lone Wolf.

Astrid is a first name of North Germanic origin. Derived from the Old Norse Ásfríðr (Divine Beauty), it comes from combining áss (god) + fríðr (beautiful). Judging by her looks and sound, job well done Mr and Mrs Williamson: as never was a child better named.

Having threatened to break through in the mid-90s with indie upstarts Goya Dress, much was expected of this album when it was first released by One Little Indian last April. That the expected sales failed to appear explains this year’s re-release. Don’t burn the witch: buy her instead.

(4/5)