When I saw Vashti Bunyan as part of a vocal group on a Nick Drake tribute I thought she must have been Nick’s sister or something - there for the token. Her singing was so unaccomplished. Then I saw her again on The Review Show recently and realised she was a respected artist.

Apparently she was part of the London scene in the 60s, first taken up by Andrew Oldham (à la Marianne Faithfull) and later by Joe Boyd. She made a record then which didn’t do much and gave up music only to be brought back 30 years later when her old album became a cult. She has now put out more releases and is enjoying some success.

It’s a nice story and good luck to her. But I can’t help marvelling at just where the bar is set when it comes to conventional musicality. I like to set it low myself. Actually maybe I like for there not to be a bar at all. But sometimes you hear a performance and it is so devoid of technique that you remember there has to be a bar.

Vashti’s singing would be below the line. Yet I rather liked it in the context of the Drake tribute because I assumed she was token. To learn that she is credible in her own right was such a surprise. If I’ve not said it often enough I say it again: it’s all about context.

I’ve since been checking Vashti out online and indeed her attractiveness is clear. She comes over as a lovely person, delicate, beautiful and modest. Able to inject these attributes into her music then she resonates. I am now a convert. I really shouldn’t be such a technique snob.