Iiro Rantala is a piano virtuoso whose prowess at the keyboard can overwhelm audiences with joyful excess – as he did when he led his Trio Toykeat. No doubt about it, back then he had the wow factor, and I can remember thinking that when he slows down we'll see if he has anything to say. Well, he's slowed down now, and he does have something to say. Reaching this point was an aesthetic rather than physical decision, and his albums for ACT have increasingly acquired focus as a result, this latest probably his best with two master craftsmen at his side in drummer Peter Erskine and bassist Lars Danielsson. Here he sets his stall out on an album that is based on seven originals that emphasise strong, sometimes memorable, melodic themes where he creates the time in which to develop and explore mood and melody. He has always had an irrepressible sense of humour and there is joy in ‘Snapchat’ and ‘A Nut’, and depth in the non-originals like Hendrix's‘Little Wing’, ‘Kyrie’ and on Kenny Barron's ‘Voyage’ he allows his nationality to shine through with a glimpse of the Finnish tango.