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Edwyn Collins: Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation review – the sense of an ending

This rousing, contemplative 10th solo album from the Scottish singer-songwriter has an air of finality

Recorded at his home studio in Helmsdale in north Scotland with musicians including his son, William, there is a sense that Edwyn Collins’s 10th solo album – and his fifth since two life-changing strokes in 2005 – is about homecoming, coming full circle, marking the end of a journey. The title track alludes to the speech problems caused by his ill health: “Back when the words came easily/ I had the answer to everything”, something also touched upon on Knowledge. Paper Planes and It Must Be Real are particularly beautifully realised; the rousing The Heart Is a Foolish Little Thing conceals rueful and tender sentiments.

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