The hypnotic harp of Corrina Hewat gently draws you into this album, and all of a sudden you find yourself in the midst of "Morrison's jig". The surprises don't end there. A first glance at the track list lulls you into a false sense of familiarity - "Heard it, played it, sang it ...". They're all here "Ale is Dear", "Roslin Castle", "Hag with the Money" and that's just the tunes. "Waltzing for Dreamers, "Auchindoon", "Icarus", no, no surprises here, at least that's what you think, until you listen to it.

Bachue Cafe are Corrina Hewat on harp and vocals, and David Milligan on piano and guitar. They are joined by Brian Shiels (bass), Davy Cattanach (percussion), Iain Fraser (fiddle), and Mairi Campbell (viola).

The music on this album is a joy. A fusion of many aspects of folk and jazz, not in a self conscious "aren't I clever" fashion, but sheer musical expression. Bachue Cafe differs from previous explorations of this musical route, (e.g. Easy Club). Here we do not have accomplished folk musicians indulging their passion for jazz, and bringing something of one musical form to another. A new musical entity is created by the complete blending of two musical forms. Corrina has a foot firmly placed in both the jazz and folk worlds, and as such presents us with an evenly balanced whole. Ever wondered what Billy Holliday would have sounded like if she had been born Scots? Listen to Corrina's "Lassie Lie Near Me".

This album is a magical blend of the familiar and the exotic. Each time I play it it's like an old friend, but each time I play it I find something new. The players take chances. You can almost hear them smiling at each other as they pull off another audacious run, stretching a phrase until it is about to break, and then getting back at the last possible, exquisitely timed instant. In this Corrina and David are more than ably supported by their guest musicians, who are no bit players brought in to fill out the sound, but are in total sympathy with the innovative music being created.

Corrina's own compositions slip seamlessly into the familiar traditional tunes in the sets. She is a pupil of Maire Ni Chathasaigh and has learned well.

As I listened I found myself grinning at the CD player, in the same fashion as I once grinned at my record player when listening to Clive Palmer's banjo playing. While the music is in no way similar, this album is as innovative, and should be as influential as those early Incredible String Band records were. The same willingness to take risks, the same inspired blending of influences from divergent sources is here.

Intimately recorded at Sound Cafe, Penicuik, you can feel every breath breathed by Corrina - on another album that might have been detracting, but here it enhances the performance. Similarly you feel the piano reverberating. David Milligan's playing makes me ashamed of my bigotry towards pianos in folk music, if only they were all like this.

This recording passes my acid test for unknown artistes, for having heard this CD I'm desperate to see them perform live, and I'm kicking myself for missing them at Celtic Connections.

If you take one chance on something new this year, make it Bachue Cafe. I don't know anything about Highlander Music, but they have already established brand loyalty with me, and I'll be looking out for them in future.

So there you have it, the most innovative album since Fairport's "Leaf and Liege"- is John going over the top? Possibly, but deservedly so.