A musician who's passionate about both Bach and Bob Marley?

Emily Maguire is another of those classically trained artists who has chosen to bring her skills across genres with a high degree of success. Maguire is an English singer-songwriter who lives on a goat farm in the Australian bush where she and her partner Christian Dunham operate her own record label.

Her 2004 debut album, Stranger Place, opened the door to prestigious venues across Australia and the UK. Keep Walking is a worthy followup to that first album and is exposing her to a wider audience, including in the U.S.

Classically trained as a cellist and pianist, Maguire taught herself guitar from Bob Marley songbooks. She started writing and singing in a folk venue while laid up with a bout of illness and, eventually, led her to a new career.

Her voice is soft and warm, though it can raise a few octaves when the passion warrants. There are elements of Paula Cole and Dido in her singing. Her voice may remind you of some other singers, but there's nothing derivative about her music.

All 12 tracks are solid. Some personal favorites are the title track, the funky "TV to Take it Away" and the lovely "She Knows."

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