The Acoustic Affair is a Glasgow-based promoter of upcoming Indie, folk, jazz and rock artists, their mission to showcase “the best musical acts in stripped-back performances”. And here they are, gathered together on this recent release from Glasgow-based Indie/Celtic roots label Vertical Records.

‘Twelve of the Best’ is an engaging, unhurried, intimate album. There’s a good mix of well-known musicians alongside excellent upcoming talent, and female musicians are fairly well represented too. Sophie Bancroft, Karine Polwart, Karan Casey, Jacqueline Sharp and Carol Laula occupy the girls’ corner, their rootsy songs lending distinction to the album – Sophie Bancroft’s sassy, sultry vocal on the jazzy ‘Hot and Cold’ and Karine Polwarts’s exquisite ‘Holy Moses’ are standouts.

The men of The Acoustic Affair aren’t afraid to lay their feelings bare, either. Benny Gallagher’s ‘The Salt of her Tears’ is a sad, sad percussion-led song, while Kieran Docherty employs rhythm and lyricism to great effect on the excellent ‘Fall From Grace’. I loved Clive Gregson’s deft, crisp delivery of ‘Antidote’, No 1 Son’s beautifully melodic ‘Event of the Season’, and the emotive, soaring string arrangement of Unkle Bob’s ‘Brighter’. James Grant, The River Detectives and Sporting Hero complete the album’s impressive list of participants.

Definitely worth investigating if you want to check out a snapshot of a singer-songwriter scene that successfully embraces several music genres. And it looks like Volume 2 is in the offing too..