Donegal based songwriter Richard Gilpin, who is about to release his third studio album (on 10th February 2007), is gearing up for a Fermanagh appearance this weekend at the Copper Kettle Folk Club.

His new album 'Loose Ends' is a collection of 11 brand new songs and could be best described as an eclectic mix of acoustic rock, country blues and traditional Irish music with even a hint of reggae for good measure.

'Loose Ends' was produced by Terry McGinty and was recorded at Valley Studios in Ballybofey, Co Donegal. The album features a host of Ireland's top musicians including Cathal Hayden (Four men and a dog) on fiddle and Peter Wilson (a.k.a. Duke Special) on piano.

With songs of love and loss, faith and doubt 'Loose Ends' shows a further development and maturing of his talent both musically and lyrically.

The album opens with a Marleyesque track title 'Soul Searching', a reggae number with strong backing vocals and keyboards.

Other tracks include 'Put your hand in mine', 'No expert', 'Leave it all behind' and 'The Great Compromise'.

Richard released his debut album 'Beautiful Mistake in 2002 and his second album '33' in 2003 which won album of the year on Radio Spazio, Italy and saw him reaching a wider audience in UK and abroad.

He performed with his band at the BBC Music Live Festival at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast in May 2004, and had gigs at Darvel Music Festival in Scotland and Greenbelt Arts Festival in England. His songs are played regularly on BBC Radio Ulster, RTE, BBC Scotland and Wales among other radio stations and he is constantly touring, playing at festivals and concerts throughout Ireland and Britain.

Richard Gilpin will be appearing at the Copper Kettle Folk Club at the Railway Hotel in Enniskillen on Friday 2nd February. Doors open at 9.00pm.