Yet, also flying the flag for island musicians one space below was another Western Isles singer/songwriter, the newly disclosed Mata MacDonald, originally from Lewis, now living in North Uist.

"I looked on the chart and was pleased to see where The Boy Who Trapped The Sun was as he's from the islands and his music is excellent, and then I saw that there was someone with the same name as me sitting in the number six spot beneath him – it took me a wee while to click on that it wasn't someone else, but it was actually me!" he laughs.

Although a new kid on the island's music scene block, Mata (Matthew) has been plodding away at his unique brand of Folk/Americana/Country for the last 15 years with only close friends and family as an audience.

But now Mata is quickly making a name for himself and releasing a selection of excellently heart-felt, original and beautifully melodic tracks via the internet after a recording session at Keith Morrison's 'Wee Studio'.

"Getting the music out there was really more to do with my family as it was them who bought me some recording time with Keith for my birthday," Mata says, adding with a chuckle: "I think they were getting bored with me constantly singing to them and no one else!"

Having spent so many years playing 'live', setting down his music was a brand new experience to Mata, as he admits: "Going into the studio I felt nervous, I'd just never done anything like that before, but Keith was excellent and settled me in well.

Bolstered by his recording experiences and the feedback received on his tracks, Mata took the next step and only four weeks ago set up a Myspace music site – one small step which has taken him right across the Atlantic Ocean.

"When I was looking at the hits on Myspace I just assumed that most of them were folk listening from the islands, but then someone showed me how to check where people were logging in from and I was surprised that about 70 per cent were people in America checking out the songs," Mata expands.

Now with a taste for a more public audience, Mata is keen to return to the recording studio with plans in the near future to release an EP.

For the full article on Mata and his music see this week's Stornoway Gazette out NOW.