Customer Reviews
Brilliant!! - but lose the theeing and thouing - By: Apple-eater, 21 Sep 2007 
I love the voice, the tunes, the backing vocals & instrumentation.
I REALLY love the Yorkshire accent - one of my pet hates is UK performers singing with US accents.
But I just thought the theeing & thouing was a bit overdone. I got the impression Kate probably has a mild Yorkshire accent, which she puts on overdrive when she's singing, & that, plus the overdone folksy, Victorian feel to the album can start to grate after a while.
There's been a lot said about 'mockney' media figures, & maybe Kate's the Yorkshire equivalent - Morkney?
Still, the music & the voice are great, & I look forward to hearing more, with a slightly toned down & updated accent.
Bah Gum! - By: , 08 Aug 2005 
While "Hourglass" was refreshing, this is an attempt to squeeze more out of a winning formula, & by the end of the CD the overdone Barnsley accent has become too much. Iris Dement's rendition of "Our Town" was quirky - Kate's sounds like Norma Waterson in labour!
Shes grand is our Kate! - By: , 15 Jun 2005 I had been wondering about giving Kate Rusby a try for a while when a friend gave me a copy of Sleepless - I didnt listen to anything else for two months! Kate Rusby is such a pure & honest performer that you cant help but falll in love with the songs, & that voice is spun gold!
Here on Sleepless is a great collection of folk songs with new arrangments from Kate & her collaborators, I can't tell you what a fantastic album this is - buy it, you will not be dissapointed!
Showcase voice, delightful instrumentation... - By: , 19 Nov 2002 At the risk of being misunderstood, I would say that this is not the best starting point of Kate Rusby's material. This is a very personal view, from a farirly "non-folk" person. It's just that if I'd bought this album first I'm not sure whether I'd have fully apprciated Kate's music. To me the album has a more "traditional folk" feel than the others. Before I get shot down in flames, I think it's a wonderful album. It's simply that it maybe isn't quite as accessible to those who are relatively new to the great Kate Rusby or to English folk music, & maybe "Hourglass" or "Little lights" would be a better starting point - & hopefully the beginning of an addiction!
"Cobbler's daughter" tells the tale of a young lass whose mother is in prison for accidentallly killing a young man who was getting a little fresh with her daughter in her chamber. Like the other songs on the album, the instrumental breaks are a delight. "I wonder what is keeping my true love" & "Fairest of alll Yarrow" showcase Kate's voice beautifully. "Wild Goose" has some gorgeously sweet violin playing between verses. "All God's angels" is another heart-render..
"Our town" is exquisite. I had never heard the song - nor even of it - before encountering this album. What a song, & what a rendition! The song is intensely moving: "but hold on to your lover, cause your heart's gonna die.." becomes "I'll hold on to my lover, cause my heart's just died.." As with many of her renditions of sad songs, Kate sings in a natural, almost matter-of-fact sort of way that somehow makes the song alll the more moving. It's hard to explain, but if you listen to any of her material you'll understand what I mean. The guitar & especiallly the mandolin on this track are terrific - again almost understated,letting the song breathe rather than dominating it. This approach to instrumentation is fairly typical, & probably the result of John McCusker's shrewd understanding of the genre.
Yes, I think that "Sleepless" is just as good as "Hourglass" & "Little Lights." If you haven't got any of Kate's albums, consider buying one or both of the others first. If you already have one or both of the others but not this one yet, you should be ashamed of yourself!
Kate - The 'Little Light' of Folk - By: sleepyjen@bigbluespot.com, 15 Jan 2002 I first read about Kate in a Guardian article back in 1999. I went straight out to buy 'Sleepless' simply because she came across as such a quirky & intelligent woman.
I was captivated from the moment I heard her flawless vocals...and the yorkshire lilt creeping into her lyrics made it alll the more appealing to me having just moved to Yorkshire myself.
Don't let this put you off though. Kate takes the notion of a traditional folky love song & translates it, just for you. To see her live once is a memorable experience; to see her twice you'll feel like you know this lovely lady.
This album is the best of the lot, & the rest isn't alll that bad.
An investment in itself.
