Singing female double bass players? Hmmm… well, there’s Esperanza, and, er… oh yes! - Charlie Pyne from North London. Forgive the slight delay, but it’s been nearly six years since her debut, during which time motherhood has no doubt played its part in keeping her out of the spotlight.

Playing the bass and singing at the same time is not easy: you’re usually producing one note on the instrument while singing a different one, and that can be confusing, which is why we don’t see it done that often. Two cases in point: the syncopated samba ‘KP’s Parrot’ (presumably a glimpse into the home life of the band’s Canadian drummer) and the opener ‘On the Shore’. During both, Pyne handles the complicated melody lines alongside the tenor with no apparent effort.

There’s a pleasing lightness of touch on this collection of all-original tunes, recorded with the same lineup as before. In fact Pyne seems able to carry the whole thing off with aplomb, aided by Pinkstone’s fluent reed contributions and Dunachie’s always reliable ivories. The mood is sunny and upbeat throughout, even on the slow tune ‘Gratitude’. It’s all very accomplished, melodic, tasteful and well-recorded. In fact, it don’t half remind one of… Esperanza Spalding. Considering the latter’s genius, that is surely no bad thing.