CD reviews: The Waifs

The three mainstays of Australian folk-roots-pop outfit The Waifs, Vikki Thorn, sister Donna Simpson and Josh Cunningham, apparently struggled to come up with material for this album yet, on balance, that's barely apparent given the assured quality of the compositions and the off-the-cuff class with which they are rendered.

A career that stretches more than two decades obviously helps, the trio roaming through a widescreen landscape adorned with pedal steel, finger-picked acoustics and warm washes of harmony.

In short, there's nothing new here, but the slow-burning tension of opener Black Dirt Track and the soft shuffle of 6000 Miles and Come Away are hard to ignore.

•  The Waifs. Beautiful You. Jarrah Records.

•  Three and a half stars (out of five)

Single download: Dark Highway
For those who like: Norah Jones

- Shane Gilchrist