Mike Davies

Dean Owens Desert Trilogy EPs continues with Sand and Blood, a cinematic and atmospheric second volume featuring members of Calexico and a rewarding duet with Guatemalan singer songwriter Gaby Moreno.

Collaborating with Joshua Britt, Ben Glover and Neilson Hubbard, Amy Speace’s latest offering is a spellbinding masterpiece and the most personal work to date from one of the greatest artists in Americana today.

Recorded live in the mountains of Asturias in Spain, Los Campeones En Vivo demonstrates what a powerful live force Danny and the Champs are, unleashed on stage they’re like a power station on steroids.

Whether painting small vignettes, looking inward at his own emotions or addressing wider issues, Declan O’Rourke’s “Arrivals” is an intimate listen, one that draws you into its musical and emotional orbit with the brushstrokes of a master craftsman.

Musically, vocally and lyrically absorbing, Abigail Dowd’s ‘Beautiful Day’ may chart one woman’s story of rising above the odds, but in troubled times such as these, it offers a universally inspirational voice to ride the flood rather than being drowned by it.

Backed by a very strong cast of musicians, Neilson Hubbard returns with ‘Digging Up The Scars’, a simple, yet affecting and deeply resonant album looking at coming to terms with the past, of finding acceptance and healing.

A terrific traditional folk album and a fascinating insight into Angela Carter’s creative process and her own pretty much unknown involvement in the folk scene, one which will surely further expand Paulusma’s reputation and bring Carter’s writings to a whole new audience.

The Brother Brothers return with Calla Lily, a collection of instantly memorable songs about everyday humanity…Blooming wonderful.

Darkly romantic, hauntingly melodic and flecked with effective experimental embellishments, Amigo the Devil’s ‘Born Against’ stakes an early birthright for the year’s best-of lists, reinforcing the adage that the devil truly does have all the best songs.

Liz Simmons’s new solo album is soft and soothing, though not without a hint of anxiety. Like the wordsmiths of its title, it captures the rhythms, rhymes and cadences of life in its universal being.

A stylistically eclectic and beguiling Americana album that speaks of hope, longing connection and wonder. Seen through Vane’s lens, ‘nowhere’ may be both daunting and inviting, but it is most assuredly lovely. Take that ride.

Heath Cullen’s ‘Springtime In The Heart’ finally gets a full physical release after its digital release last year. It may be springtime in the heart, but Cullen is a master music maker for all its seasons.