2003's excellent Eddi Reader Sings the Songs of Robert Burns found the Glasgow native exploring her Scottish roots, a thread she continues to uncoil on Peacetime. Whether the piece is traditional or contemporary, Reader is a first-class interpreter of songs, and her abilities as a singer are indisputably rare. While she can wield her regional lilt like a highland princess ("Mary and the Soldier"), Reader never comes across as a Celtic folk singer. 2002's Driftwood found her tackling tunes from the pens of North American songwriters like Ron Sexsmith and David Rawlings, and Peacetime, despite its overall penchant for traditional works, feels more like that album than it does the Burns collection — Reader's two duets with the Trash Can Sinatras' John Douglas are highlights. Produced by lauded fiddler John McCusker, who added a lovely brass quintet to the "Shepherd's Song," the arrangements are impeccable, though a tad on the safe, adult contemporary side — both "Galileo (Someone Like You)" and the title cut are lovely but impossibly shiny, but fans of Reader and her closest contemporary Kate Rusby will find much to love here, especially on charming renditions of "Calton Weaver" (better known as "Nancy Whiskey" to all of you Pogues fans) and Burns' "Leezie Lindsay," and listeners who count the contributions of longtime guitarist Boo Hewerdine as high points of each album will love his superb "Muddy Water." [Peacetime was also released with a bonus track.]

4 Stars

- allmusicguide

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Eddi Reader has had a wildly varied career. She has sung with punk heroes Gang of Four, harmonised with Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics and notched up the pop hit Perfect with Fairground Attraction. Then she went off to make solo albums, switched to folk music and returned to her Scottish roots with a vengeance with Songs of Robert Burns.
Her new album mixes a bit of all that, but sees her still rooted in the folk camp, like a Celtic Kate Rusby. After all, the album is produced by that great fiddle player John McCusker (who produced Rusby's albums), and she makes use of the same Coldstream Guards brass section that Rusby has used. But Reader's choice of songs is firmly original. There are more from Robert Burns, one from the Trashcan Sinatras and several thoughtful contributions from her guitarist, Boo Hewerdine. She treats them all with cool confidence and respect.

- The Guradian (UK)

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As richly but cleanly produced as any Kate Rusby or Damien Rice release, the latest disc from Scottish folkster Eddi Reader is the perfect synthesis of the beautiful folk-pop of 'Simple Soul' and the traditional folk of her Robert Burns CD. Combining a seamless blend of covers (Trashcan Sinatras, Declan O'Rourke), new songs from longtime collaborator Boo Hewerdine (of powerpop group The Bible) and some thoughtfully reinvented traditional songs, "Peacetime" is a testament to a singular vocalist's love of song - all song, regardless of of it's lineage.

"Eddi Reader SIngs The Songs Of Robert Burns" was an inspired, and much needed recording but it may have disoriented Reader's longtime fans of her unique brand of understated pop and gorgeous songwriting. "Peacetime" welcomes those listener's into it's warm embrace but they will immediately long for more songs like "Safe As Houses", her only writing credit on this release.
The always superb songwriting of Hewerdine fills in the gap, and "Muddy Water" and the title track would have fit perfectly on any earlier Reader release. Two songs by Trashcan SInatra's (whose singer is none other than Eddi's kid brother) round out the CD in key spots and keep it fresh.
Declan O'Rourke's "Galileo (Someone Like You)" deserves special mention as well for it is simply wonderful.

This may sound like "Peacetime" is choppy or uneven in it's mix of traditional folk and contemporary songwriting, but such is the skill of Reader as both an arranger and singer as well as John McCusker's production that "Peacetime" is exactly the opposite: these 13 songs create one complete note, albeit a complex one in it's reflective nature and the song's questions of faith and connection.

The lushly packaged "Peacetime" is exactly what Reader should be releasing at this time, completing a "Per-er-er-fect" circle, and begs to know where will this talented artist will go next. As always then, Eddi Reader creates enough curiousity in all songwriting, and connects at such an uncommon depth with her listeners, that one is always left wanting more.

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Contains the Bonus Tracks:

- The Calton Weaver (Trad.)
- Ontario (Hewerdine)

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