Cara Dillon - After the Morning (2006)

The first single from this album Never in A Million Years has mainstream written all over it. From the in your face production to the workout she gives her voice it's getting close to being filed under pop, or rock as iTunes would have it (they often get flummoxed when it comes to the folk arena, bless 'em). Thankfully Cara's distinctive vocals have the strength to stop it veering off into soft rock power ballad territory.
After The Morning is a logical progression from her previous albums Cara Dillon and Sweet Liberty. This album sees the full flowering of Cara and her husband Sam Lakemans songwriting and production skills. Lakeman has always been an intrinsic part of Cara's career, here he has stepped up the ante as a producer. I Wish You Well is another single contender, fiddle and banjo giving it a distinctive bluegrass feel making even even more of a foot stomper than Never In A Million Years.
Don't mistake 'mainstream' for 'sell-out', this album is a well rounded collection of songs, many of them traditional arrangements. Cara's achingly fragile vocals that we are familiar with are still in place for many of them Bold Jamie and The Snows They Melt The Soonest being fine examples. She has a distinctive vocal swagger across this album, the different musical styles allowing her to really push her own stylistic envelope.
Cara is one of those artists who could probably sing the menu from a chinese take away and make it the most seductive thing you had ever heard. With this album she has resisted any temptation to rest on her laurels or play it safe and instead explored freesh avenues.