Music sometimes comes very close. Listening to Don’t Rush It, the opening track on Land Of My Other, you immediately notice how beautiful and direct the album sounds. Stuart McCallum’s guitar already sounds like he’s standing or sitting right next to you, as does the bass and piano played by Thomas Bartlett and, just when you’ve already lavished yourself with those warm sounds, Rioghnach’s voice joins in. Almost as if she’s pressed against your ear, moving, warming your heart as if that were all you ever knew. And when Rioghhnach sings “If it all falls tomorrow, be glad of today” you feel the comfort of these words through the music and especially in her voice. The opener is subtle and above all nothing grand, nothing bombastic, it is deliberately kept small in terms of instrumentation. And with just the right rhythm and build-up and then there is Rioghnach’s wonderful voice. How wonderful do her vocal lines sound towards the end of the song, when she raises her voice one more time with that same subtlety.

Little One shows how to make a small song shine. Just listen to how the song builds and unfolds, the rhythm of what sounds most like hand claps join the guitar and then there’s Rioghnach’s voice again that completes the song. Voice and instruments complement each other perfectly in this lullaby and where you might have the idea of a song that is only aimed at the little ones on this earth, this is simply stunning, nothing short of beautiful, even without putting a baby, toddler or preschooler to bed yourself with any regularity. The sensitivity of Rioghnach’s vocals fits very well with the instrumentation and once again The Breath manage to wrap up a song ever so beuatifully.

The title track simply moves you within the very first few seconds. Only the opening as it were already touches you. And then all we hear is Stuart: in his playing he captures the Irish soul with just a few sounds of his guitar. Breathtakingly beautiful and simply bringing goosebumps. If you have a thing for Ireland, this song might just make your breath stop. Yes, it is that beautiful. It sounds like it was brought up from the depths of the Irish soil, deep from the peat or deep from the Irish lakes to be shared now. The instrumental interlude adds to it, with the flute played by Rioghnach.

You can listen to albums that pile on a lot more production-wise, that are richer in terms of orchestration, that are longer, where more musicians give it their all, that may have received a lot more attention in promotional campaigns, but if you haven’t listened to this album this year, then you are simply missing out on a gem. The potential of what The Breath is capable of, of course, that was already partially contained in their fabulous debut Carry Your Kin (2016) and confirmed by follow-up Let The Cards Fall (2018). The warmth, the closeness, the arrangement, it all just leaves you speechless. Music and vocals are perfectly balanced throughout the album. The direct and warm sound of the album perhaps makes the biggest difference from the two previous albums.

Thomas Bartlett was approached to produce the album and after hearing only seconds of Rioghnach’s voice, he was sold. Just because of how very much her voice expresses  the essence of Irish singing. He wanted very much to produces this album, because of the diverse aspects of her voice. For Thomas with a clear fascination for Irish music (he is also a member of The Gloaming) a very welcome new shoot to the tree that forms his portfolio. And that in itself is already very  impressive.

He quickly established his name as a producer with Glen Hansard’s solo debut and also managed to produce The Gloaming’s releases, from debut, The Gloaming 2, a live album to the equally successful third studio album with all of them having outstanding sound. That warm sound of albums you’ll find on them, you’ll also hear on other albums he produced, from very diverse artists, from Yoko Ono, Julia Stone, Joan As Policewoman to Sufjan Stevens and Rufus Wainwright. Add to that the creativity he also displays as a composer.

And add that to what string master pur sang Stuart McCallum brings to the table. Whether you listen to Stuart’s work within The Cinematic Orchestra (Ma Fleur from 2007 being the ultimate reference), his solo work like the masterful Distilled (and the fascinatingly good live adaptation Distilled Live) and City, the music he made during the corona pandemic, his contribution to Slowly Rolling Camera or a collaboration like the one with Mike Walker, his guitar playing is always fascinating. And that is equally true on Land Of My Other. Musical miniatures, or so his playing sometimes feels, always, always very beautiful. So the combination already spelled out to be impressive and set for magic.

Moreover, when you add to that the fact that Rioghnach’s lyrics on Land Of My Other are perhaps the most beautiful she has ever written, personal, open and direct, and in vocal lines that on more than one occasion come right in, you have the recipe for one of this year’s finest albums. And how beautifully she sings has certainly not gone unnoticed in musical circles either. Not only has she already collaborated with Afro-Celt Sound System, she was also asked by Peter Gabriel to sing along on i/o. Rioghnach’s personal lyrics, just listen to Head Down and Letters From Long Kesh, about the impact of her father’s activist role as a republican in Ireland, cannot leave you unmoved.

Land Of My Other is an album that manages to touch, that is stunning in its vulnerability and that simply leaves nothing to be desired in terms of beauty. Land Of My Other is The Breath in optima forma. The partnership of Thomas, Stuart and Rioghnach have succeeded to make an even more beautiful album than the two previous releases before. Amazing and touching in all its beauty.