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Album:Hibert's Hotel

Website: http://www.barbaradymock.com

Founder member of Ceolbeg and one of the finest Scottish revival singers, Barbara has re-emerged from her life as a doctor and mother with this, her finest recording. She's set Scots traditional songs, Jacobite songs, Bothy ballads, and gypsy songs alongside lyrics by Brooksbank, Burns, Dylan and producer Michael Marra (quite a few to unusual but well-married tunes) with the imaginative, skilful modesty of her acoustic band. A moving album full of great songs and timeless character. - Norman Chalmers Scotloand On Sunday

The Quiet American

Label:Boulder Acoustic Society

Website: http://www.quietamericanmusic.com

When Simon & Garfunkle sang about "The Sound Of Silence" they knew of it's power. The Quiet American, knows the same trick, "Vol II" has a gentle laid back quality to it, it caresses you into listening rather than demanding. Featuring a combination of traditional folk songs, some like "KC Jones" from the American canon, others like "Black Jack Daisy" derived from their British counter parts. I was expecting the latter to be a gender twist on "Gypsy Davey" but is more of a name change. Self penned tunes then slot seemlessly into the style and feel for a great sounding album.

Album:Teenager Of The Century

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

There's a whole lot of commonsense in the adage, 'keep it simple stupid' and it's something that The Lights seem to have taken to their hearts. "Teenager Of The Century" is an album defined by crisp lines and clean songs. It really gives you a chance to hear the instruments, pick out the melodies and meanings in the songs and have a good listening experience. The musicianship is tight and top draw, the americana and, to a degree, skiffle inspired indie feel speaks of a band that really know their stuff and that ultimately it's the songs that matter, not the packaging.

EP:A Long Road To Find

Website: http://www.colestacey.net

I'm never sure if five tracks is a big EP or a mini-album, I am sure that it's not enough tracks, at least as far as Cole Stacey's latest release, "A Long Road To Find" is concerned. I've followed Cole's career since he kindly sent me his early releases and it's been a pleasure listening to how he's taken his raw and ready early songwriting talents and refined them into songs that retain all that early passion, but have a polish that brings out the best in his words and harmonies. Songs that are strong enough to punch home when performed solo as well as with the band behind them.

Davina And The Vagabonds

Website: http://www.davinaandthevagabonds.com

Resplendant in night club sleaze, there are times when I think that this is how Eartha Kitt would sound if she was born in the post punk era. "Black Cloud" has a very jazzy feel, drawing in both elements of ragtime jazz and Chicago blues, call and response phrasing and a sound that could have felt at home from anywhere from the thirties to the fifties, that is until you hit the lyric, and this is no criticism, when you feel Davina reflects her life and world in the songs and that gives them an edge that makes the album Davina And The Vagabonds rather than an excellent covers album.

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

I will admit to a bit of trepidation when I put this in the cd player. Songs Of Trees is the latest recording project from producer Kevin Osborne and has mainly been known for his work in the dance and hardcore, he was briefly Kid-KO and also AKA Kajo. Fortunately there's not even a clue in "Open Road" that exposes his past. What there is is the feeling that Songs Of Trees may have found a sound a feel that gives them a skin to be comfortable in. One swallow doesn't make a summer and one single doesn't build a legacy, but it's a start and quite a good one.

Rapunzel & Sedayne

Album:Songs From The Barley Temple

Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rapunzel-and-Sedayne

Anyone that reads the non-sanitised version of fairytales knows how violent and dark was the world in which they were spawned and yet the morals held true, bad people got their comeuppence. Folk music often captures the more universal truth that bad things happen to good people and there is definitely elements of that in "Songs From The Barley Temple", but it also includes songs that have themes of strength through adversity and pulling together to make the best of things. Rapunzel & Sedayane's album is a glorious mix of ancient and modern, from song to instrumentaion.

Album:Again Into Eyes

Website: http://mute.com/artists/s-c-u-m

As you might gather from the sleeve, "Again Into Eyes" is a bit more indie, a bit more rock than our usual fare, but I'm really loving both the melody of the song and the poetry of the lyric, so I've slipped it in under our exceptions rule :-) S.C.U.M. have a sense of the relentness about them, I found myself being reminded a bit of Bowie during his Berlin period, the songs have a drive to them that melody and vocal weave their way around, threading in and out of the electronica that provides the thrust. It's an album that feels it's art without over indulging the ego.

Album:Fin Da Laand Ageen

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

Kevin Henderson is a part of the Shetland plan for world domination through fiddle music, playing with both Session A9 and Fiddlers Bid, amongst others. "Fin Da Laand Ageen" is both a celebration of Shetland fiddle music and music from Shetland celebrations, featuring a number of bridal and wedding tunes across the album. It's a very uplifting album full of vitality and with a session feel to it, you can almost feel the family gathered around Kevin, a dram in hand and feet definitely doing more than shuffling. A warm welcoming album that instantly feels at home.

Website: http://www.ritahosking.com/

This album came to me highly recommended, but I have to confess it took me a couple of listens before I could understand what the fuss was about. Rita Hosking is an Americana singer-songwriter whose songs feel like they're coming via the voice of experience, they have a matter of fact, life sometimes gives you lemons feel without dressing in in glitter. I guess it took me a while to relate to that honest direct feel. For example "Burn" has songs about rodeo, car derby circuits that aren't about throbbing engines, but rather the relationships between people with the events and each other.

Website: http://www.yanntiersen.com

Yann Tiersen has made some highly original and individual albums. He seem to work particularly well when working alongside the visual medium, check out his soundtrack albums for "Amelie" and "Tabarly". I don't think "Skyline" is his best work, which is a shame, because I think I like what it's trying to be. The album comes across as cluttered, it feels like the album of a man with something to say, but he's not as cohesive in his thought processes as he needs to be. It makes the album quite challenging, no bad thing in its self, it is being ultimately unrewarding that's the issue.

Album:Mountains/Forest

Website: http://www.jtandtheclouds.com

Personally I think it was rather ungentlemanly for JT Nero not to have name checked Po' Girl's, Allison Russell, on the front cover, such is her contribution to this album, but this is undisputedly a really really top example of songwriting and performing in the Americana genre. The songs are strong, the performances have an emotional connection to the material. JT's backing band, The Clouds, provide additional musicians allowing the sound to fill the requirements of the track. Both singing solo, harmonising or as a duo, you can feel the connections that move an album into special.