Various Artists - Get While The Getting's Good

The title of this collection is taken from Edwyn Collins' composition by the same name. Featuring an array of musicians at varying levels in their profession - some of whom have never released a single, some of whom have an entire career behind them - this is nothing if not broad and is a fine display of just how eclectic the music of Scotland has become. Ranging from the quintessential Scottish pop of Wake The President and Camera Obscura to the silky smooth jazz of George Burt via the experimental folk-pop of Down The Tiny Steps, it's impossible to typify by any other slogan than geography, or for the release to emphasise any other sentiment after hearing Jock Scot's opening tale of drinking whisky far, far from home. At times, the collection inspires. At times, it leaves the listener feeling just a little brusque. Impossible to judge on the performance of any individual musicians, this collection offers, nonetheless, a true insight into just how healthy a condition the indigenous music of the land is in. [Neil Ferguson]