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Album:Early Morning Radio Pain

Website: http://www.myspace.com/simonwardacoustic

Simon Ward is just starting off down the road of the solo artist having been in a number of bands that never really went anywhere or had the inclination. "Early Morning Radio Pain" is the recording that starts that path. At times it feels a little rough and ready around the edges. He's got a hard, almost aggressive delivery style that seems to give him some protection from the sensitivity of some of the songs. There's times when you feel that the mix and arrangements could be better balanced, a price of home recording, but ultimately you feel a troubadour at the beginning of a journey.

Album:Unspoiled By Progress

Website: http://www.waltertrout.com

"Unpoiled By Progress" is subtitled "20 Years Of Hardcore Blues". Can it really be twenty years since a fresh faced Walter Trout burst onto the blues rockl scene? Apparently so. This album features unreleased tracks from across those years as well as new songs. Certainly there's songs I recall hearing live, but until now hadn't ventured out on a release. It's a harder more poltical release than his more conventional albums, maybe there's a feeling that you can take more of a risk with this type of compilation. For me it's a risk that works. It feels fresher, closer in spirit to his performances.

Album:From Here To Now

Website: megaphonemusic.blogspot.com/search/label/LECUBE

Like strawberries and cream, there seems to be a season for that classic French pop sound, even when it's recorded in English. "From Here To Now" feels like a balmy summer evening with just enough breeze to keep it fresh and stop you getting listless. That breeze is provided by a light jazzy backing that lends strength to Julien Barbagallo's relaxed vocal. Barbagallo, also provides the songwriting focus for the album. The arrangements are tight, no more so than on "Lady Pornograph" a track that came out as a single a couple of years back. The songs feel like vignettes of love and life.

The Lucky Strikes

Album:The Chroicles Of Soloman Quick

Label:Stovepony Records

Website: http://www.myspace.com/wearetheluckystrikes

"The Chronicles Of Solomon Quick" is a concept album based on the fictional story of the man responsible for the death of Robert Johnson. It's a story that's been covered many times, but not like this. You feel The Lucky Strikes are living the role they've created for themselves. This is blues and americana as opera, it has it's villans, heroes, lovers and guilt. Guilt is the strange one, maybe there were points at which the murder of Johnson could have been prevented and with the benefit of hindsight maybe people knew. It certainly results in a fascinating album that's a step above most.

Website: http://www.philipsayce.com

There is no disputing the ability of Philip Sayce as a guitarist or as a songwriter. It's just that at times I feel that he should have passed more of the production responsibility onto Michael Nielsen, who also engineered "Peace Machine". The main reason is that there is a tendancy to self indulgence throughout the album. Sayce knows his way round a fretboard and pedals, but sometimes needs to understand less is more. By the time I was half way through the album, I was thinking here we go again, rather than this is good and that's not how it should be with a talented guitarist.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/moby

I know, what's Moby doing here with his electronica rather than more acoustic instrumentation? To be honest, it's because he's won me over as songwriter. Forget his instruments of choice, feel the sentiment of his words and how they're delivered. There's something almost Cowboy Junkieasque about "Wait For Me", a very laid back vibe that laps up against your consciousness, rather than tries to overwhelm it. "Wait For Me" is a beautiful record. You can switch the rest of the world off and allow yourself to be come suffused in an oasis of calm filled with bittersweet water.

Album:9c From Benelux

Label:Din Of Ecstacy

Website: http://www.myspace.com/jinder

Whilst he's not really been away, "9c From Benelux", really feels like Jinder's homecoming album. It doesn't feel laidback, it feels more relaxed, as though a pressure has been lifted and he's free to himself. He reinterprets a number of his older songs, "Townes Blues" and the stunning "In My Time Of Dying" as he reminds us about the solo artist that became part of The Mercury Men. Solo he cuts a better cloth, part way between troubadour and cowboy, country and americana. His rich vocal defines the record like a river defines the look of a valley, it shapes it's landscape.

Album:Strewn With Ribbons

Label:Make Believe Records

Website: http://www.laurenmaccoll.co.uk

The much anticipated follow up to, "When Leaves Fall", "Strewn With Ribbons" sees former young tradition winner, Lauren MacColl team up with Mhairi Hall and Barry Reid to produce an album based around the Highland Collections. MacColl slots her own compositions to make new pieces as well as reinterpreting old ones, the result is an album that's a fresh as the heather on the more, rather than dried and musty in a bowl in the library. It reflects life and death, fun times and hard ones. It does it with a glint in the eye and a knowing smile and entertains throughout.

Vandeville Falls

Website: http://www.myspace.com/vandevillefalls

Vandeville Falls have picked up the folk inflected, big acoustic pop baton, previously held by the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Fairground Attraction and Dexy's during their Emerald Express phase, almost In Tua Nua with more of an English accent. If the purpose of this EP is to instigate a craving for the album due later this year, it's really done it's job. Vandeville Falls have a hook laden sound that should be more than capable of filling venues. It' also a sound that could make the band very radio friendly right across Europe and beyond. Uptempo, uplifting, unspoilt.

Water Tower Bucket Boys

Album:Catfish On The Line

Website: http://www.myspace.com/watertowerbucketboys

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Water Tower Bucket Boys are becoming one of the hardest touring outfits on the bluegrass circuit, incluiding a two week stint in the UK towards the end of July/Start of August. To coincide with the dates, there's a chance to catch up with their most recent album, "Catfish On The Line". It's got that proper raw bluegrass edge, harmony vocals that don't sound like a producer has whacked it through autotune, slick but not over polihed instrumentation and a sound that feels like it's homespun and live, not corporate and manufactured.

Album:Honkytonk And Vine

Website: http://www.myspace.com/davidserby

There are sometimes when you can judge a book by it's cover, "Honkytonk And Vine" wears it's influences very much on it's sleeve and you wouldn't have to be Nostrodamus to predict what this album's going to deliver. David Serby captures the west coast country sound well. He's got a reasonable voice. The musicianship on the album is hard to fault, well except for one thing, there's no sense of passion, it's almost as though Serby is the only one that really believes in the songs, really knows what he wants and he's got himself a competent band that's been here before and just want a living.

Album:The Haunted Year:Winter

Website: http://www.jackieleven.co.uk

The recordings on The Haunted Year Series were originally released as fanclub only albums between 1998 and 2003. "Winter" brings together "Men In Prison"(2003) and "Munich Blues"(2000), both albums recorded live, the first Johnny Cash like in a prison in Norway, the second in Germany. The collected 23 songs show exactly why Jackie Leven has become viewed as Scotland's Richard Thompson. He can do the quirky and humourous, place it next to the dark and disturbing and still have it all make sense. If you could bottle Jackie songs the label would reflect the waters of life.