Howard Shawcross - "Melting Pot Of Gold" - Western Australia

There's not too many more impressive starts to an instrumental album than this one. The combination of Irish jiggery on Flat Out Like a Lizard Drinking which segues into the very percussive djembe and brass fuelled (courtesy of John Bannister and Nola Formentin) Last Pint At The Cobblestone.

Add didgeridoo, mandolin, flute, bouzouki, cello, uillean pipes and snake like bass and you have a feast for the ears. You're thinking to yourself where can they go from here. Well the answer is all over the world from the South West of WA through to Texas, Melbourne, East Pilbara, Scotland and the west coast of Ireland.

Hyams and his cohorts don't just chuck it all on the heap it's carefully laid out and each track is like its own aural postcard. My favourites are Flight Of The Sea Slug/ East of Cape Arid which is a reflective piece featuring David's very folky strong guitar and mandolin at the start before a change of pace as the other Miles To Go colours are added and Slow Train To Austin which was inspired by a long train journey through Texas and delights the ears with its emotive dobro and later the gutsy electric slide.