In addition to being Mr Kate Rusby, Glaswegian John McCusker is a ferociously talented fiddler who’d already spent 11 years with the legendary Battlefield Band by the time he hit age 27. And as this album demonstrates, he’s a fine writer of original tunes whose soulfulness and sensitivity belie their author’s somewhat in-your-face appearance (he’s currently sporting a mostly shaven pate crowned by a spiky mohican). Rusby takes the lead on the sole vocal number on the album, a warm-voiced rendition of ‘The Bold Privateer’. 14 other guest musicians also make noteworthy contributions – Andy Cutting, Phil Cunningham, Michael McGoldrick and Iain MacDonald among others.