Soma Compass Records****

Belfast piper, graduate of Lúnasa and linchpin of At First Light, John McSherry has chosen an intensely disciplined route to his first solo album. His piping is as taut as a highwire and yet, when required, as relaxed and capacious as a fishing net, gathering the tunes within its gabháil without ever stymying their full breadth of expression.

Bádaí na Scadánis a masterpiece of restraint and nobility, with McSherry's rarely aired Low A whistle luring the slow air into a subterranean world where breath is scarce and every inhalation cherished. His scattering of self-composed tunes still bear many traces of his rhythmic escapades with Lúnasa. The Rambles of Kittyis a beautifully paced, mathematically orchestrated set-piece. Aptly christened, Soma is a highly balanced and controlled body of work. See compassrecords.com

Download tracks: Bádaí Na Scadán, The Rambles of Kitty