WHEN Mary Chapin Carpenter decided to reinterpret ten of her classic songs with the help of a full-blown orchestra, there were inevitable fears that her voice, that gorgeous blend of velvet and honey, would be swamped.

Thankfully these fears have proved unfounded, with Carpenter “learning to ride the enormous wave of orchestral sound by finding a quiet voice, conveying strength”.

This warm, engaging album, inspired by Carpenter’s love of cinematic and symphonic music, gives full rein to “this quiet voice”, as much-loved songs such as Between Here And Gone and Come On Come On are radically reinvented.

Carpenter’s themes of the fragility of life, the power of loneliness and the fleeting nature of happiness are given added poignancy as her words are borne aloft on a majestic cloud of orchestral sound.

Okay, so the jangling guitars which drive such classics as House of Cards and He Thinks He’ll Keep Her are absent, but this thoughtful and moving album is an important addition to the Carpenter collection.