I just had to put Gun Tamh into my desktop CD player, and I felt like I was back in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in 2001 when I first had the thrill of hearing Cliar perform at the Celtic Colours festival.

Cliar is something of a Scottish supergroup, featuring Gaelic singers Arthur Cormack, Mary Ann Kennedy and Maggie Macdonald, pianist Ingrid Henderson, fiddler Bruce MacGregor and guitarist Chaz Stewart. Kennedy and Henderson also play the clarsach (Scottish harp). Instrumentally strong, the band focuses primarily on its vocal strengths, with gorgeous harmonies and puirt-a-beul, or mouth music.

Their first, self-titled album has long been a favorite of mine. Gun Tamh (which I believe translates to "without rest," which is an apt title given my past interactions with band members in Cape Breton) lives up to its predecessor without absolutely beautiful music throughout.

The album starts out strong with a set called "Strathspeys & Reels" -- but, title notwithstanding, the tunes have some lovely puirt-a-beul as well. Sung in Gaelic, the song is translated in the liner notes. "When the reel of kisses began/ there was the cheerfulness,/ The thunder of their shoes could be heard in Bail' an Tura." "Nighean Donn a' Chuailein Riomhaich," or "Brown-haired Girl of the Beautiful Tresses," is a sweet, lyrical love song (although, admittedly, the final verse is a little weak, so far as romantic proclamations go: "I would rather sit beside her/ Than have Spanish wine with cinnamon."

I could go on, but it's impossible to pick a track that isn't exceptional. I miss these guys -- the band, unfortunately, parted ways a while back -- and this album was a nice way to reacquaint myself with their incredible musicianship. Anyone who enjoys Scottish music should definitely have some Cliar in their collection.