a tired but happy crowd head for home after a friendly Off The Tracks

A sure sign that I'm having a high old time here is that I can't quite believe how quickly Sunday has come around. But here it is, and I'm at least consoled by the fact that there's another day of fine music to look forward to. The beautiful voices of Samzeo soothe many a sore head before Moonshee take to the stage with renditions of folk classics given a twist with the addition of tabla and sitar. Like much of the music this weekend it's an idea that perhaps looks a bit odd on paper but works brilliantly in practise.

Having been captivated by the great Phantom Limb at Wychwood earlier in the year, they were always going to be one of my highlights this weekend. And pretty much as soon as Yolanda Quartey opens her mouth they become a highlight of everyone else's too. Possessing one of THE great soul voices (it's no exaggeration to put her up there with the likes of Mavis Staples and Aretha Franklin), She spurns the showboating, look-how-many-notes-i-can-do style of many a contemporary R&B artist in favour of singing it straight and true, telling it like it is and sending shivers down many a spine in the process. Both their self-titled debut and this year's 'The Pines' are well represented, Songs of such quality that you can hear them once and they immediately feel like old friends. A sublime cover of Lowell George's 'Willin' makes an appearance too, and it's no wonder that the end of their set is met with a standing ovation. Not bad at all for a new band playing largely unheard material.

The unenviable task of following them and closing the festival falls to Rory McLeod & the Familiar Strangers, who with his customary mixture of wit, superb musicianship and compassion for the underdog plus a bagful of great songs and a band comprising saxophone, double bass, harp and clarinet does a fine job. A well-travelled and open minded bloke, His musical influences are all over the map, He's got many a story to tell and seeing him is always a pleasure. Favourite moments for me are the Motown stomp of 'I Just Want To Be Loved' and the set finisher 'Farewell Welfare'.

A few heartfelt words of thanks from co–organiser Boz and its all over and a tired but happy crowd head for home. Now, this is traditionally the bit of the review where I'm supposed to outline what could have been better about the festival, but the honest answer to that is "Not much". At a push I'd say it could do with a bit more variety in the food department, But at a festival with such a great line-up, run by people who clearly love what they do and with one of the friendliest atmospheres I've encountered in 25 years of going to festivals,that would seem a bit nit-picky. Off the Tracks has won yet another convert.

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