Hunter's Moon

Calum Stewart and Heikki Bourgault's own website refers to this excellent effort as if it's the pair's second collaborative album, and on the strength of this mix of original and traditional material from Scotland and Brittany, this duo's debut must be well worth tracking down. Hunter's Moon is a vibrant, confident and instantly appealing record.

Stewart's dazzling virtuosity on both uilleann pipes and wooden flute is backed up by Bourgault's crisp strumming and daintily picked melodic lines on acoustic guitar across a nicely balanced mix of uptempo and reflective pieces. The compelling narrative rush of ‘An Coire Bhreacain’ shows what fine ears for sequence and surprise these two have in their sets, which abound with adventurous turns of phrase and tempo. And Stewart's own composition on the title-track and on the inviting ‘Schottishe Kerlou’ is that of a contemporary folk writer who really knows his oats. But, like many great albums, it's all over too soon.