Albums

Avoiding the highways tends to slow one down. You can’t drive quite as fast, but you get a better view of the countryside. For Jason Simon, that’s the point. What you see along the way makes all the difference. A Venerable Wreck is the proof of that.

He’s no contender, he’s no pretender, he’s someone who’s been on the canvas and got up to win the fight. And as this album once again proves, he has the heart and soul of a champion who stares truth in the eye and doesn’t flinch.

Bare nerves and raw emotions, backed by arrangements fueled with a combination of power and panache create the heart and danger at the soul of Paddy Dennehy’s music.

Not only is this a great album, it is also an important one. Shiran sees no boundaries in her art – a powerful female voice in the contemporary Arabic world bringing people together to celebrate their shared heritage and not further divide their perceived differences.

The story of this album is beautiful and touching in itself but the music that is in a way a distillation of Douglas’s experiences of a situation and his journey through it is truly special.

The Mammals return with a world-class album expanding their lineup to embrace bandmates old and recent as well as special guests.

Recorded in April during lockdown, Paul and Naomi’s “I’ve Got A Fever” is a musical delight, and hopefully a foretaste of another full album.

Possessing what appears to be an uncanny innate ability, and with two fine albums already under his belt, Quin with One N is set to enjoy a long and very bright musical future.

Celticana is the second collection from the Aberdeen duo Steve Crawford & Spider MacKenzie. While its roots are firmly embedded in American traditions, the lyrics and narratives hail from Scotland.

London-based Hannah White joins forces with four Bergen musicians – The Nordic Connections – for an album that is anything but ordinary. Recorded live, she plunges fully into the 70s country sounds she’s only previously flirted with.

Camille Delean has seemingly found the balance point between solitude and loneliness, between desolation and despair and come out on the other side. She shares messages we can all learn.

Regardless of the season, the jubilant grooves of Rearrange Us provide a perfect way to swing into summer. The music sways with the breeze, shimmering and coming alive thanks Mt. Joy.