Over the past few months, Charley S Buchan has been working hard and collaborating with a variety of musicians across the country, and the final result – the nicely titled CS Buchan & Friends – is one that cannot afford to be missed.

The opener Like It’s 1979 has a simple yet fiercely infectious rhythm. Lizabett Russo’s harmonies in Cynthia Says are so warm and dazzling, and the song as a whole is just beautiful.

Mystery may just be the highlight of the batch, thanks to an unforgettable chorus that is just oh so catchy, plus the combined vocals of Michael Chang and Katie Buchan (of Best Girl Athlete fame) just mesh impeccably.

Sandwiched between the decent Everybody Knows and the fine All Used Up is Ambulance, which is glazed by an engaging atmosphere. Light The Beacons is a good instrumental piece that grows in sizes as it progresses.

Katie Buchan reemerges to lend her gracious voice once again to I See You, You See Me, while Home From The Sea shines with smooth guitar chords and great lyrics, delivered excellently by Alexander Ironside at the mic.

Iona Fyfe makes her mark in Who Are You Kidding, another focal point with bright piano keys and acoustics, in addition to a cheerfully bouncy beat. The album takes a bit of a different turn in the closing number Losing The Race, categorised by a distorted sound, but it still serves as a pleasing conclusion.

I went into this expecting something worthwhile, but what I did get was nothing short of fantastic. CS Buchan & Friends is a massively entertaining collection of tracks that are not only diverse, but contain many positive elements that has me – and I’m certain other listeners too – coming back for more.

Charley has helped to prove just how rich the Scottish music scene truly is, being chock full of terrific people that deserve plenty of credit for their capabilities and creativity, and at the end of the day, it is just so commendable to see these folk get together to create a product that is simply special.

I have a stronger faith than ever in what the local talents in this industry can offer, and we honestly need more things like this.