New album: One of the most unusual releases of the year – 32 tracks, more than 2 hours, with the style from an indeterminate era, perhaps ghostly love song echoes of 60s girl groups – come delicate and crash-bang electric guitar, percussion and vocals from the glammed-up alter ego of Canadian songwriter, guitarist, and drag performer Patrick Flegel
Read moreThe Black Keys: Ohio Players
New album: With a 12th LP, the title and artwork inspired by the legendary funk band from their home state, the duo of singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney return with a collaborative spring in their step, their bluesy rock stimulated by co-writers Beck, Noel Gallagher and other guests
Read moreThe Black Crowes: Happiness Bastards
New album: A first album for 15 years by the Atlanta rock band fronted by the charismatic Chris Robinson with guitarist brother Rich, with feisty, pacey, blues-rock return packed with banging new tunes reminiscent of the Stones to AC/DC to ZZ Top
Read moreVarious artists - Africatown, AL: Ancestor Sounds
New album: A beautifully evocative, documentary compilation of anonymous spontaneous performances and field recordings from descendants of slaves in a northern section of the city of Mobile, Alabama, one of the last places in the US to receive slave ships
Read moreDeclan McKenna: What Happened To The Beach?
New album: Less overtly political than his previous work, but still satirical and now more personal, this is jaunty, quirky, eccentric, eclectic pop by the 25-year-old LA-based, Enfield-raised singer-songwriter, experimenting like a 1960s psychedelic troubadour.
Read moreVera Sola: Peacemaker
New album: Oozing style and sophistication, the smoky, velvety-voiced American singer-songwriter returns with a follow-up her 2018 debut, Shades, with a sublime set of vivid, poetic, atmospheric songs, laced with a Nashville-recorded country, folk and ghostly, theatrical twang, and influences from Tom Waits to Dvořák
Read moreHis Lordship: His Lordship
New album: Explosive, punchy, sharp, witty, thrilling debut LP of 60s-style garage punk, anarchic rockabilly and 50s rock’n’roll by the duo of James Walbourne (The Pretenders) and Kristoffer Sonne (Chrissie Hynde) taking inspiration from Jerry Lee Lewis to The Stooges, The Cramps to The Black Keys
Read moreFavourite albums of 2023 Part 2: Anohni to Blur to Mitski, Ren to Sufjan Stevens
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 2, and Part 1 was yesterday. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order …
Read moreFavourite albums of 2023 Part 1: Anna B Savage to Young Fathers
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 1, and Part 2 is also out here. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order. This is all about quality and innovation …
Read moreThe Rolling Stones: Hackney Diamonds
New album: A rock dinosaurs’ indulgent dirge? Far from it. This first LP of new material by the veterans for 18 years, and perhaps their final one, goes with a bang – echoing some of their 70s rock, blues, and country infused pomp
Read moreAllison Russell: The Returner
New album: Following 2021’s Outside Child, a second excellent solo album by the Nashville-based Montreal-raised singer-songwriter and activist from the band Po’ Girl, Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters, with charming but emotively poignant Americana, folk, soul, gospel and pop
Read moreCorinne Bailey Rae: Black Rainbows
New album: A landmark of powerful storytelling and songwriting in this fourth album by the Leeds-born singer with songs inspired by immersion into a rich collection of art, books and artefacts about Black history organised by Theaster Gates at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago
Read moreBuck Meek: Haunted Mountain
New album: The New York-based, Texas-bred singer/songwriter and Big Thief guitarist returns with a beautiful third solo album of sensitive, moving, melodious alt-country, Americana and folk rock
Read moreHiss Golden Messenger: Jump For Joy
New album: Rich storytelling, engaging melodies, subtle humour and perfect, gentle pacing out this strong, highly enjoyable loosely concept album of Americana, country and folk by the North Carolina five-piece led by MC Taylor
Read moreRhiannon Giddens: You're The One
New album: The Greensboro-raised singer-songwriter and brilliant banjo player of Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters returns with her first solo album for six years, for the first time mostly originals, continuing her focus on black culture reclamation of catchy, soulful country and Americana
Read moreGeese: 3D Country
New album: A brilliant second album following 2021’s Projector by the Brooklyn indie-rock quintet, packed with thunderous rocky, bluesy psychedelic grooves, retro yet fresh, stop-start rhythms, and charismatic deep-voiced delivery of Cameron Winter
Read moreBettye LaVette: LaVette!
New album: With last month’s passing of Tina Turner, it’s heartening to find another great voice still going strong, the gravelly soul delivery of the 77-year-old veteran with bluesy funk and candid killer lyrics
Read moreTinariwen: Amatssou
New album: A fabulous new release by the north Mali nomadic group whose distinctive Tuareg Saharan desert blues is beautifully combined with a country style, with added pedal steel and violin, and a title that is is Tamashek for ‘Beyond The Fear’
Read moreFatoumata Diawara: London Ko
New album: The Mali star returns with an third LP, mixing Afro-futurism and feminism wassoulou traditions and western, but also celebrating her links the UK and and collaborations, notably with co-producer Damon Albarn, and other guest including Angie Stone and Roberto Fonseco
Read moreThe Arcs: Electrophonic Chronic
New album: Classy rockin’ psychedelic soul from the Black Keys man Dan Auerbach’s side project, returning with a stellar supergroup of musicians including co-founder Leon Michels and members of the Dap-Kings, as well as a moving tribute LP to the Arcs’ late singer Richard Swift
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