7/10

Despite releasing four highly-praised and adored studio albums already, singer and songwriter Cormac O Caoimh's fame and adulation has been largely confined to his homeland of Ireland. Maybe it is because of his truly Gaelic sound or the country's admiration of the folk sound, but it seems that international success has been hard to find in recent years. That is until now as the frontman looks to deliver his most ambitious and captivating releases to date as he unveils his fifth full-length 'Swim Crawl Walk Run', a warm and inviting new collection.

While most of his material to date has been of a traditional ilk, usually stripped-back acoustic aesthetics with little to no fanfare surrounding his heartfelt prose, 'Swim Crawl Walk Run' sees him collaborate with producer and multi-instrumentalist Martin Leahy, who has been able to inject his own blend of diverse production into Caoimh's direction. This wonderfully bright and vibrant team have managed to bring the frontman's sound out of its conventional shoes and deliver something with a more adventurous nature to it. While it still firmly fixes itself to the singer's textured persona, it is the atmosphere surrounding each song that makes this record such a captivating listen.

From the very start, 'Swim Crawl Walk Run' is an upbeat and dazzling offering that never looks to stray too far from Caoimh's formative style. His folk-inspired direction remains the heart of this new release, but with an understanding to try new ideas, he has flooded his newest album with a soaring and effortless feel, making for a truly engaging full-length.