Mike Davies

Like Animals is arguably her finest work to date, there are creature comforts to be had here and a certainty that, in fashion or note, the name Charlie Dore shows no sign of fading.

Country Darkness Vol 2 is the second EP in the My Darling Clementine collaboration with Elvis Costello’s longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve which again illuminates the musical genius of both parties.

This latest release from Smithsonian Folkways is enough to make old-time American music enthusiasts think all their Christmases have come at once. Doc Watson & Gaither Carlton should be an essential part of any old-time music aficionado’s collection.

Flew the Nest, the latest offering from Indie-Folk singer-songwriter Hayley Sabella, is an album of widescreen arrangements and intimate vocals, suffused with a sense of calm and tranquillity despite the sometimes turbulent nature of the feelings it charts.

While this unapologetically no-frills and sounding true to the originals album will appeal to old-time and Black string music fans, banjo and fiddle player Jake Blount offers plenty here to engage the casual listener too.

Keep On Running is the debut offering from Joe Edwards who hails from Devizes in rural Wiltshire. While it’s a well-travelled path, it’s a well-played, engagingly sung and assured calling card for future progress.

Steve Earle’s Ghosts of West Virginia draws on 2010’s Upper Big Branch coal mine explosion which, killing 29 miners, was one of the worst mining disasters in American history…The echoes of these ghosts haunt long after the album ends.

While Look Long reflects on the many changes in the world, Indigo Girls are still the bar-band they claim to be at heart, you really should grab a beer and celebrate their return to the saloon.

Joe Nolan’s already achieved considerable acclaim and following in Canada, Drifters suggests he’s about to step up to an international level.

Reassure Me There’s A Window marks the solo debut of Glenn Thomas of Rhode Island rock outfit Wild Sun. At a time when doors are shut, Thomas has thrown open a window to the world of the heart, and the view is wonderful.

At the end of the day, while Isbell’s “Reunions” may have been a troubled journey, as the title implies, these are about coming together rather than moving apart. Embrace it in both arms.

Will Stewart’s name may not yet be embedded in the wider collective consciousness of Americana, but this is a  welcome reminder of a smouldering talent charting an inexorable path to the recognition and acclaim he deserves.