GUITARIST Hugh Buckley's great strength is the balance he stikes between creativity and accessibility.

The tunes on 'Sketches of Now', all composed by Buckley, are fresh and original, but the Dubliner never loses sight of the audience and knows how to keep the band in the groove.

And when the band includes his cousins Michael and Richie Buckley on saxophones and special guests Guy Barker on trumpet and Ronnie Drew on spoken word, there is plenty here to further confirm the guitarist's status as one of the Dublin scene's most listenable performers.

Cormac Larkin