Nadia Reid - Listen to Formation, Look for the Sign Spunk: hugely promising new talent

New Zealand singer-songwriter Nadia Reid knows her terrain very well.

Her likeable debut album takes its cues from that lovely strain of Americana and folk that has influenced the work of such practitioners as Laura Marling and Gillian Welch.

What makes Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs stand out from the pack is Reid's mettle when it comes to songwriting and her ability to make the songs bend to the sweet grain of her voice.

The musicians too are sympathetic to the flow of those vocals with Just To Feel Alive (displaying an affinity with early Josh Ritter) and Reaching Through strong highlights here.

While there are occasional moments when the solemnity and intensity Reid is pitching and evoking doesn’t quite ring true, it’s still quite a collection of songs from a hugely promising new talent.