Red Gold ANE Records****

Scottish and Irish music cosy up with the familiarity and ease of longtime compadres. For some years now Isle of Lewis singer Alyth McCormack has guested with The Chieftains, where she made the acquaintance of harpist Tríona Marshall. Red Gold is a languorous collection of songs and tunes that draw on each artist’s strength with equal verve. McCormack’s voice, sweet but with sufficient bite to add body to the songs, is partnered by a raft of evocative and agile arrangements from Marshall on harp.

The pair never succumb to the plaintively ethereal, which can dog harp recordings in particular. Noel Eccles' soft- shoe shuffle percussion and judicious tinctures of fiddle, guitar and double bass add further to an intriguing collection. Highlights are the pair's cover of Chris Wood's One in a Millionand Marshall's Red and Gold Reel, tastily paired with The Mason's Apron. See facebook.com/alythandtriona

Download track: The Mason's Apron