Erin Ruth (aka Erin Ruth Thompson) is at it again. The singer recently released Traditions & Original Work, a 16-track album with a selection of traditional songs from the Irish, Scottish, American and Galician songbooks, as well as a few "folky originals."

There are a half-dozen of the latter: "Miles Away," "Forecast," "Easy Way Out," "Child in Us," "Fake Tears (The Narc Song)" and "One Lifetime." Traditional tracks include "Down by the Salley Gardens," "Estrella do Luceiro," "The Wind that Shakes the Barley," "I'm a Man You Don't Meet Everyday," "Both Sides the Tweed," "The Fields of Athenry," and "Down to the River to Pray," as well as Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More."

A native of Tucson, Arizona, Erin moved in 2012 to San Francisco, where she gained much of her exposure to Celtic music. She worked as an accountant, her press materials explain, along with her schedule of performing, auditioning and recording. According to social media, she has since moved to Oregon.

Traditions & Original Work is her second self-funded album, following up on her self-titled debut in 2020 (reviewed here in 2023). Her sophomore release came out digitally in 2025, physically in 2026.

Besides her vocals, Erin plays piano and guitar on the recording. (According to press materials, she also plays clarinet and saxophone, neither of which is featured here.) Lending a hand on the album are Kyle Alden (guitar, organ), David Brewer (whistles, bodhran), Sean Daly (vocals), Tom Luekens (guitar, vocals), Richard Mandel (guitar), Darcy Noonan (violin), Sara Remington (vocals), Autumn Rhodes (flute), Malcolm Robertson (flute), Jesse Torre (guitar) and the Black Brothers, a Bay area band, who add vocals on one track.

Despite the lengthy list of contributing musicians, the album is a fairly stripped-down collection of songs; nothing is top-heavy or overproduced. The focus is almost entirely on Erin's voice, with everything else acting as a foundation on which she can stand. (Most of the guest musicians appear to be on only one track each; Sean Daly, notably, takes over the lead vocals on the final track, "The Auld Triangle," while Erin supplies harmony on the chorus.)

Erin has soft, self-assured vocals that lean toward an introspective folk style. Nestled among her original material, the familiar songs are presented in unfamiliar settings, giving them a fresh interpretation that's all her own.

This isn't a mug-thumping Celtic sing-along CD, but a calm, contemplative reimagining of music that is probably more suited to a tea room or coffeehouse than a boisterous pub. Even so, the music works equally well in tamer surroundings, and Erin's voice makes it work. Wrap your hands around a hot cuppa and enjoy the experience.

[ visit Erin's website ]