Star rating: ****

ON SUNDAY night, Ewan Robertson from Carrbridge became the first singer-guitarist to win the Young Traditional Musician of the Year title, in a final that gave the judges one of the most difficult decisions to make in the competition's eight-year history.

Before announcing the winner, the judges' chairwoman - singer, folklorist and author Margaret Bennett - acknowledged the strength of the field. She said they had been looking for a well-rounded performer, taking into consideration how the competitors spoke to the audience, and which of them had the most potential in going forward as the winner.

An experienced musician through his work with one of the leading young Scottish bands, Breabach, Robertson gave an assured and relaxed performance, including a well-worked, entertaining tale of his grandparents' courting days. As well as singing Ewan MacColl's Shoals of Herring and American singer-songwriter Phil Ochs's When I'm Gone authoritatively, he showcased his accompaniment talent in a set of tunes featuring Hamish Napier on whistle. The former student at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music at Plockton wins prizes including a recording deal with top Scottish label Greentrax.

Choosing a winner is always an unenviable task in this competition, and it was made all the more so this year by the wide variety of approaches of the contestants, as much as by the high levels of musical skill involved. Two 17-year-olds, Steven Blake from Livingston and Robert Menzies from Dumfries, excelled on pipes and accordion respectively. Edinburgh-based clarsach player Ailie Robertson produced an accomplished and witty set - and while piper James MacKenzie from Lewis was quietly spoken but technically commanding, the Dunblane-born singer Amy Lord proved that gallusness is not an exclusively Glaswegian trait.