Mike Davies

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.

Suitably autumnal in musical textures to match the tenor of the lyrics, it may be a few months early but it marks the calendar of the heart with a quiet sense of grace in resignation.

Quarterman’s ‘Carondelet’ album is disarmingly simple and beguiling in its songs of bruised hearts and battered hopes…listen once and you’ll be wanting to listen again almost immediately afterwards.

“We’ve got stars above our head and stars beneath our feet”, sings Meyer on the final track of the self-titled Oka Venga, a fine summation of this stellar album.

Raised in the Midwest and now based in Nashville, this is Claire Kelly’s second full-length release – “I confess I’d not heard of her before, but on the evidence here I certainly look forward to hearing a lot more.”

Despite being conceived during a period of personal upheaval, Brigitte DeMeyer’s ‘Seeker’ glows with a redemptive spirit and sense of optimism for the life ahead. It marks a new chapter in her musical journey, and on this evidence, it’s going to be quite a page-turner.

Celebrating the French and Weimar cabaret era, the former Wailin’ Jennys member Annabelle Chvostek digs into her East European heritage alongside her Canadian background and marital Uruguayan influences for this gloriously ebullient sixth album ‘Strong of Pearls’.

Coming on the back of a personally traumatic year, ‘The Fray’ has a grip of iron. John Smith says these are the most honest songs he’s ever written…hard to disagree. Featuring an assemblage of stellar musicians it’s a shoo-in for the best of the year lists.

We owe thanks to a data salvaging company for 3hattrio’s ‘Lost Sessions’. Mike Davies advises “Not one to have you sing along perhaps, but, pour a tumbler of mescal, crush in a few psychotropic salvia leaves and let your inner ghost dog off the leash.”

Solitary Company, the third album from Joshua Tree-based duo Son of the Velvet Rat, is redolent of the stark beauty of their Mojave home. Their finest yet; an album of the year.

Welsh collective ‘Hanks Company Band’ deliver some laid back cosmic blues on their new album ‘Big on Easy’, a very fine addition to your collection of homegrown country.