Her first solo recording since2008, The Brightest Path combines newly unearthed traditional Scottish melodies with soaring self-penned tunes and sublime contemporary songs, displaying the full breadth of Patsy’s talents.

It was recorded in the remote Crear in Argyll (with a view overlooking Jura) with a core band of Ben Nicholls (double bass), Ewan MacPherson (guitars, mandolin and banjo), SignyJakobsdóttir (percussion), Mhairi Hall (piano) and Mattie Foulds (drums). Playing live in such relaxed and beautiful surroundings gives The Brightest Path an organic and natural sound, despite the virtuosity present throughout its 10 tracks.

The album also features adreamlike performance from Fraser Fifield – who Patsy describes as “thesaxophone version of me”. For her part Patsy is a one-woman string quartet; playing violin, viola and cello as well as co-producing the record with Mattie.

She also sings: The River Princes by the aforementionedMr MacPherson, Half Acre by Brooklynband Hem and Patty Griffin’s gorgeous KiteSong.

“I love singing but I’m not afolk singer,” Patsy explains. “So I took great care to find songs that I felt Ihad a right to sing.”

Patsy has become one of themost admired and in demand musicians in the UK – performing and recording with Breabach, Kathryn Tickell, Zakir Hussain, Bella Hardy, Tim Edey, Treacherous Orchestra and too many more to mention.

But with The Brightest Path we finally have an album that is the complete and unique sound of Patsy Reid. Treasure it because… who knows when we’ll get another?

But just playing like Patsy means combining skills and techniques from both traditional and classical backgrounds. As a child she first learnt to play tunes by ear at the Alasdair Fraser fiddle camp on Skye. As a teen she made the trip to Alasdair’s sister camp in California, where she learned her trademark percussive chopping style – a technique she introduced to Scotland. On top of that she has a Post Grad Diploma in Classical Violin Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music. And it’s these disciplines that give Patsy ultimate control over the bow – allowing her to virtually sing through the instrument.

Fellow fiddle player Aidan O’Rourke from the band Lau says: “She has an accuracy and tone that many fiddlers only dream of. She has truly mastered her instrument and has developed a unique style which seems to grow in depth and maturity each time I hear her.”

English folk singer Jim Moray reckons: “Patsy transcends simply being a folk musician. She has an understanding of what to play and when and how to play it that rivals the best of any genre. And her morris dancing is coming on – in a few years she’ll be quite competent.”

And the celebrated Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell says of Patsy: “She’s a fantastic musician, a lovely fiddle player and a joy to be with. No wonder everybody wants to work with her.”

But for now, everybody will have to wait. Patsy has begun work on her first solo album since 2008’s Bridging The Gap – a recording of her rapturously received Celtic Connections commission that joined folk and classical through a self-penned set of tunes that explored the seven modes of modern music. Her latest album marks the start of a new chapter in Patsy Reid’s remarkable musical story.

“I’m now in a position where I can call the musical shots – and not feel guilty about it!”

For audiences this is the chance to hear one of our finest and most distinctive musicians emerge from behind the bagpipes and… play like Patsy.