Gavin Glass’s impressive fourth album of what is now fancifully termed “Eirecana” strikes a reflective, almost melancholic note.

The sense of time passing – “we got old before our time,” Glass sings on the gorgeous, country-tinged title track – pervades almost all eight songs. So does a sense of loss: how is it that songwriters never look back and laugh?

The Dubliner is a Jack of many trades (among them a noted producer and a member of Lisa Hannigan's band), but clearly a master singer- songwriter. His songs carry real weight, whether they be big, passionate declarations of bruised experience (Better Left Alone or Rise & Fall) or more stripped-back affairs such as First Stone.

The production is top-notch, rich and dramatic with steel guitar, violin and piano to the fore, while Glass’s voice adds meaning at every turn.