Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

This is a refreshing Celtic romp of an album, performed by a nine-person ensemble based in the Borders of Scotland. Leader Alistair Salmond wrote all 11 songs, and there's a full compliment of pipes, whistles, bodhran, flutes, harp and what-not to go with guitars, oboe, bass and percussion. As an avowed lover of Celtic music, I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish; the production is excellent, the standard of musicianship is high, and the only slight glitches are the occasional hasty and/or breathless vocal. "Psallite Domino" is my favourite track at the moment, some wonderfully dirgey pipes lead into a polyharmonic near six minutes of praise in Latin and English, but there's plenty to enjoy, and playing time at over an hour is very generous. This is the antidote to all that is quasi-ethnic and pseudo-Celtic; recommended.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.