Mike Davies

Solo | Duo | Trio is the next best thing to actually having been there and a persuasive reminder that, whatever format he works in, Luke Jackson is one of the most dynamic and exciting live performers of his generation.

Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Texas by Yorkshire parents and now resident in Sheffield, Ash Gray trades in Texan alt-country. The catchy hooks, Gray’s soft-toned cosmic cowboy vocals and the infectious tunes are a treat for the ears.

Broken Stay Open Sky is the fourth album from the now London-based Cornish 60s psych-folk styled six-piece Red River Dialect. Released on Paradise of Bachelors it’s sure to bring them the extra attention they deserve.

It may not all be wholly autobiographical in a literal sense, but the emotional authenticity is clear, another terrific example of how exposing and exorcising personal pain can produce an artist’s best work while touching universal chords and perhaps giving voice to those less articulate in seeking catharsis.

While Will Varley may have produced his darkest album to date, with the extra dimensions afforded by the fuller instrumentation, it’s also arguably also his strongest.

It’s often said that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and this album applies salve to the wound and sets about the healing. Just like the medical box of their name, every home should have one.

All On Red is the debut album from Orphan Colours (ft. members of ahab, Noah & the Whale and Danny & The Champions of The World). With a groundswell of acclaim and awareness already building, this could indeed be the start of something beautiful.

While not pushing any new musical frontiers, Tyler Childers does make familiar landscapes feel freshly tilled on these songs about the trials, tribulations and temptations of a hardscrabble working life.

Metatonia is Yvonne Lyon’s eighth album – a treat for both existing fans and new audiences alike, this really deserves to make her name and music much wider known.

An album that deserves to be showered with awards, a  testament to both the superb musicianship and songwriting skills of its assembled cast and the continuing relevance and durability of the world’s greatest playwright.

There’s nothing particularly musically fussy here, just the sound of two musicians in perfect synch doing what they do so well and, in the process, crafting what is sure to prove one of this year’s finest albums.

Medicine Songs is a dynamic, full-blooded reminder that, after 54 years of performing, the Canadian-born Cree singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie remains a voice that demands and needs to be heard.