Mike Davies

Noel McKay was first discovered by the late Guy Clark who considered him a kindred spirit. This immensely listenable album is firm evidence of his excellent judgement.

Overall, Jon Patrick Walker’s ‘The Rented Tuxedo…’ is a fairly whimsical listen of slightly shaggy dog tales, but like that rented tuxedo, it still dresses to impress.

If there is any justice, Connectivity, Grace Petrie’s ninth studio recording, should finally break the charts with its wealth of crowd-friendly, hook-laden, anthemic singalong choruses of folk-rock and country-tinged songs about love and life.

“For Now”, the new solo debut from Christian Glackas as Merciful Heavens may be a tentative start to striking out on his own but will certainly do nicely for now.

While the well-reviewed film is currently doing the rounds, The Tape album stands perfectly on its own without the need for a visual narrative, a glowing testament to Martha Tilston’s ever-burgeoning songwriting, musical and vocal brilliance.

In the final words of Dar William’s ‘I’ll Meet You Here’, she sings “Aren’t we aging well?” Like a fine wine, Williams is indeed a very special vintage that simply gets better and better with time.

A perfect illustration of how even an ad-hoc Findlay Napier album becomes a  captivating, indispensable work, it is what it is and what it is, is magnificent.

Old-timey acoustic bluesman Mark Harrison makes a welcome return with ‘The Road to Liberty’ that offers up a mirror to our troubles and challenges…while he might not be able to solve them, he still makes us smile as we go through them.

Produced by husband Neilson Hubbard, Neon Dream is Audrey Spillman’s first album since 2016’s Thornbird. To appreciate its nuances, listen to it without other distractions to let its listening pleasures unfold. It will be time well spent.

This is another outstanding example of how the pandemic has resulted in artists reconfiguring the way they approach their craft, finding new pathways while building on their established foundations. Between Us marks a new pinnacle in Ana Egge’s career of consistent highs.

Their most ambitious, densest and experimental work to date, ‘From Dreams To Dust’ may also be The Felice Brothers finest hour.

Confidently marking the beginning of a new musical path, Dori Freeman’s Ten Thousand Roses is a hugely accessible and infectious work, packed with instantly memorable melodies and hooks.