''Wanderer'' is the seventh studio album by Irish folk singer Cara Dillon. It was released on 13 October 2017 on Charcoal Records.

Background

Dillon announced the album on her website and social media on 13 September 2017 by revealing the title and artwork. In an interview with the Belfast Live, she explained that she had not planned to release an album in 2017, but a period of spontaneous recording in the summer resulted in an album taking shape. The album was recorded at Random Sound and Cooper Hall, Somerset, and predominantly features piano and acoustic guitar accompaniment by Sam Lakeman, with guest musical contributions by Justin Adams,

Kris Drever Kris Drever (born 31 October 1978) is a Scottish contemporary folk musician and songwriter who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his debut solo album, ''Black Water''. Drever is the vocalist and guitarist of the folk trio Lau with ...

, Niall Murphy, Ben Nicholls and John Smith. The album features seven traditional ballads, two original songs and a cover version of

Shaun Davey Shaun Davey (born 18 January 1948) is an Irish composer. Early years Shaun Davey was born in Belfast in 1948 and attended Rockport School in County Down. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in the history of Art in 1971. He then took a ...

’s "Dubhdarra". Both of the album's original songs explore the theme of emigration – historically, and in the present day – as do many of the traditional songs included. Speaking about the inspiration for the album in a statement released by Folk Radio UK, Dillon discussed the album's main themes of departure and longing for home, saying: In a '' Belfast Telegraph'' interview, Dillon said that she views it as a very different album to her previous releases, saying:

Release and critical reception

The album entered the Independent Album Breakers Chart at No.1, and entered the

UK Official Album Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

at No. 89. It was well received by critics upon release. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

s Neil Spencer described the album with the headline "gorgeous homesick blues" and awarded the album four stars. ''Folking.com'' called the album Dillon's "most reflective and most musically introspective album to date" and ''

The Irish Echo ''The Irish Echo'' is a weekly Irish-American newspaper based in Manhattan in the United States. In 2007, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Irish businessman and publisher of the '' Andersonstown News'', purchased the paper. Founded in 1928, it bills i ...

'' noted a difference in tone between the album and its predecessors, saying it had "a subdued, simpler sound – one that also allows for a wider emotional range in her vocals."

Track listing

Personnel

;Musicians *

Justin Adams Justin Alexander Adams (born 22 July 1961) is an English guitarist and composer who works in blues and African styles. Biography Born in London, the son of a diplomat, Adams spent some of his early childhood growing up in Egypt, before return ...

– electric guitar * Cara Dillon – vocals * Sam Lakeman – producer, piano, acoustic guitar, organ * Niall Murphy – fiddle * Ben Nicholls – bass, double bass * John Smith – acoustic guitar, backing vocals ;Production * Matt Austin – photography * Mike 'Spike' Drake – mixing * Sam Lakeman – recording, production, mixing * Tim Young – mastering * Florian Zumfelde – art design and layout

References

{{Authority control 2017 albums Cara Dillon albums