Half Cut may not have the political edge of Gillespie’s early collaborative works with Gilad Atzmon. This is a more personal journey, born as it was during lock down’s isolation. Gillespie got to reflecting on the endless horizons of north America, which she’d busked in her formative years. Which leads to explicit references to the Beats and early Dylan, with her band picking up on raw rock’n’roll and an Americana vibe. Which may also suggest that the jazz side of Gillespie is diminished. But like any artist relishing challenge, she’s seeking the best fit between content and expression.

So, Montague, who co-wrote several cuts, does a fab Albert Lee vibe on ‘The Baggage Carousel’, and before the jazz police rage, think on Frisell’s Americana meditations (notably with Loudon Wainwright) or Mark Ribot’s rootsy work. Looking through those lenses ‘18th Holy Curse’ is as much jazz as it is Americana (as it is British!).

Gillespie’s flexible vocal has intimations of Ricky Lee Jones, pained and yearning on the title track, or she can get Lisa LeBlanc proto-punk as ‘Nova Scotia’ takes off, though Kirsty MacColl would have relished lyrics like ‘I want to cover you in Nova Scotia with my ricochet high heels on’.

With lovely piano work on the likes of ‘Red Winds’ and ‘Black Mountains’, there’s much to enjoy in this complex often dark-hued recording. Jazz is an attitude as much as it is a sound (ask those Beats), and Gillespie inhabits the jazz world with both brio and twang. A vinyl version is expected in October.