The 7 year gap between this, her second solo album and her 2000 debut ‘Tempting the Storm’ is excusable as she was a founding member of the Wailin’ Jennys; but is a virtue and the wait has produced an exceptional album as ‘The Light Fantastic’ is a superb and varied contemporary folk collection.
Quite a way removed from her debut disc, this album is a mature and confident set of songs, almost all are her own compositions (there are two traditional tracks) and she moves from quiet gentle arrangements right through to rockier full band tracks with ease. It’s an engaging and varied album and one that highlights Luft as an artist willing to innovate with her arrangements; it’s obvious her roots are in the folk tradition, but her tastes are much broader, and that has rubbed off onto the 13 songs here.
Her voice, as fans of the ‘Jennys will know, is clean, pure and the perfect vehicle for acoustic songs, what will surprise many is how well she fares on the rockier guitar tracks, her voice is impressively versatile and sounds good throughout.
Guitars, both acoustic and electric, are the base for all the songs, and it’s an impressively small group of musicians that create an album with such a varied sound – mandolin, bass, fiddle, piano and tabla all add to this rich sounding disc.
The disc is full of memorable songs, the opener ‘There’s a Train’ starts as a delicate acoustic piece and builds into a huge ending; Lord Roslyn’s Daughter is a big folk ballad that has elements of British folk/rock throughout; and ‘Give it Up’ is a melody rich contemporary folk/pop song with a biting lyrics and a great hook.
’The Light Fantastic’ is one of the finest contemporary folk albums of 2007, and while Cara has already made quite a name for her self in her native Canada both as a Jenny and as a solo artist, this is the disc that deserves to bring her to a wider audience. Very highly recommended.

Track listing
1 There's a Train
2 No Friend of Mine
3 Talk for Awhile
4 Black Water Side
5 Lord Roslyn's Daughter
6 Give It Up
7 No Strength
8 Wilcox
9 Jerusalem
10 Down to the River
11 Falling Away
12 Light
13 Settle for Grey

£12.99