Evolution, if not revolution, is usually at the heart of most self-respecting artist's sensibilities . Why else go on? Ballydavid's Éilís Kennedy (one half of Lumière) makes a welcome return as a solo artist, and her third album Westward is a fresh-faced, wide-horizoned beauty. Her songbook's been spoilt by her extensive travels, with Scotland and California yielding particularly rich pickings. Debuting as a songwriter, Kennedy's late vocation reveals that her finely tuned ears are matched by an equally poised pen. So the biographical The Flannel Red and Highway Mack ebb and flow as if plucked from a beloved, dog-eared songbook. That distinctive voice makes a perfect foil for a delicately balanced collection bookended by John O' Dreams and Going Home. Cello, English horn, fiddle, bass and guitar etch a perfectly shaded backdrop for this graceful collection. eiliskennedymusic.com