Erin Ruth has a sweet, almost child-like voice, which makes her first track on her self-titled CD -- "A Pair of Brown Eyes" by the Pogues -- a bit of a shock. Her voice is certainly nothing like Shane MacGowan's! But her wide-eyed, breathless version works, in large part because she approaches the song with a touch of whimsy that doesn't try at all to mimic the Pogues' grittier recording.

This is my first introduction to Ruth, an Arizona native and San Francisco-based performer who sings and plays guitar on this album, which came out in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now getting its second wind. It's a fine recording, with her vocals very much in the foreground of every track.

Ruth, it turns out, has a background in the clarinet and piano, among other instruments, but she lays them all aside for Erin Ruth. (According to promotional materials, her name is actually Erin Ruth Thompson, but she goes simply by Erin Ruth here.)

The songs include traditional standards -- "The Rocks of Bawn," "She Moved Through the Fair," "A Lady in Her Father's Garden," "The Foggy Dew," "Lakes of Pontchartrain" -- along with a few surprises, among them MacGowan's opener, Vince Keehan's poignant "Working the Streets," Karisha Longaker and Sarah Nutting's a capella gospel song "Hallelujah" and the Black American folk spiritual "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby."

A handful of guests provide harmony vocals, guitar and a few other instruments, but the simple, low-key arrangements ensure Ruth's voice is always the center of the production. She stands out with clear, sweet vocals that are a pleasure to hear.