Compelling guitar playing here from Israeli player Rotem Sivan - his style landing somewhere between John Scofield and Peter Bernstein - on an album that twists and turns from space laden pastoral ('The Tree') to bluesy down home funkiness like you'll find on 'The Hamish', this latter one named for bassist Hamish Smith, or the feverishness of 'Dragon' with its drum 'n' bass underpinning. No newcomer Sivan has been making records for more than a decade. He has drummer Miguel Russell, vocalist Sami Stevens and whistler - yes you read that right - Luke Krafka with him here in something of a novel twist. Originals sit alongside covers of the Beatles' 'Blackbird', Appalachian folk tune 'West Virginia Mine Disaster' and Kurt Weill's 'Mack the Knife.' Seek this fine, at times quirky, record out pronto. Rotem Sivan photo, Dani Barbieri