Oldham dips into his extensive back catalogue for this live album, recorded in Edinburgh on a Spring 2006 tour of Scotland and Ireland. Accompanying him are the Edinburgh folk band Harem Scarem, who provide an elegant Celtic flavour to Oldham's songs, and freestyle drummer and percussionist Alex Neilson. Simply following Neilson's subtle drumming throughout this set is a journey in itself – no two bars are ever the same, and his constant improvisation and originality set him apart from many of his peers.

Set opener 'Minor Place', taken from Oldham's classic 1999 album I See A Darkness, sets the tone for the rest of the night with it's gentle acoustic strumming, sparse percussion and tightly-woven backing harmonies from the female accompanists. Unlike the original recording, this live version sounds almost angelic due to the nature of the backing vocals, which perfectly augment Oldham's fragile voice. It's a great song and ensures that the evening starts off on the right note.

The highlight of the 13-song set is the seven minute-long epic 'Cursed Sleep', which despite its length never outstays its welcome. It sways back and forth from quiet, brooding verses to grandiose choruses where the backing harmonies and strings take flight, perfectly complimenting Oldham's Kentuckian wail. The sensation it creates is almost one of sea-sickness; perhaps Is It The Sea? is indeed an appropriate title for this record. One of the best features of this performance is its ability to transport you to a far away place: if you close your eyes during the fiddle solo on the title track you can picture yourself in a Lord of the Rings film.

The crowd remain loyally silent during the songs - no lager-fuelled Oasis style singalongs here. In a way this reflects the aura surrounding Oldham's music: the audience is encouraged to simply sit back and soak it up, as if keenly paying attention in a music lesson. The crowd's silence adds to the intimate atmosphere of the set, interrupted only by wild bursts of applause between each song. Even Oldham seems overwhelmed towards the end: "Yeah, uh… just thanks so much for coming and being so… nice!", as if back in Kentucky the most polite audience response he can hope for is for the crowd to refrain from hurling rotten fruit at him.

Is It The Sea? casts a new perspective on Oldham's music and is a cut above some of the lazy live releases from bands simply looking to bolster their piggy bank by knocking out inferior versions of studio tracks. The whole thing is beautifully recorded, and although a CD can never fully re-create the feeling of actually being there, this comes pretty darn close.