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The full Sweats with Nathaniel (centre)
New album: Emotionally powerful, muscular rock-country-soul by the Denver singer-songwriter and band has strong echoes of Hurricane-era, Dylan, northern soul, early Van Morrison, as well as with oodles of swagger, sweat, grit, slide guitar, meaty brass, screams and sorrow
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Pokey LaFarge
New album: After 2020’s mischievously dark Rock Bottom Rhapsody, Illinois-born Andrew Heissler returns with his cherry-picking persona of Americana styles with a bright, clever and upbeat assortment of 1930s jazz, country, Hawaiian, calypso, folk and New Orleans R&B shuffle
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Kacey Musgraves: veiled truth
New album: The acclaimed Nashville star’s follow-up to 2018’s Golden Hour comes on the back of divorce from fellow musician Ruston Kelly, so it’s a bittersweet but at times beautiful cross between country, rock, pop and R&B
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Reflectiive: Jade Bird’s Different Kinds of Light
New album: The 23-year-old English singer-songwriter and BRIT school graduate’s second LP after 2019’s debut is a strong selection of numbers influenced by Americana and more from Fleetwood Mac to PJ Harvey, Blur to various shades of country rock
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Yola: gloriously powerful
New album: The title track was a splendid previous Song of the Day, and the rest of this second album by the equally stands up as excellent soul and funk by the singer and songwriter Yolanda Quartey from Bristol
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MC Taylor aka Hiss Golden Messenger
New album: This LP of Bob Dylanesque country Americana by the North Carolina singer-songwriter MC Taylor offers a gentle set of songs that gentle protest about how society is tacitly controlled, but mixed with the desire and sweet moments of hope
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Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth: Utopian Ashes
New album: The Primal Scream frontman and former Savages singer collaborate in an unusually mellow set of heartbreak numbers that recall the country rock duos between Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris
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Beautiful and strange: Long Lost by Lord Huron
Album review: Serene, dreamy, beautifully melodic alt-country-folk by the Michigan-bred, LA-based group, their fourth and perhaps best yet album is awash with road imagery, rich cinematic inserts and classic retro guitar sounds
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Superwolves by Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
Album review: Gorgeously sensitive and emotional collaborative album between old friends, guitarist and singer-songwriter of folk, Nashville country, Appalachian and some Malian in the mix with guest players
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Lady Dan’s debut I Am The Prophet
Album review: A strong, emotional debut by singer-songwriter Tyler Dozier from Alabama, in which she address a number of issues from a strict religious upbringing to escaping from a difficult, controlling relationship
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Ladies of the canyon … the cover of Lana Del Rey’s eighth album
Album review: Evoking big, wide landscapes with a slow, melancholic, wistful, nostalgic and semi-fictional narratives, the New York singer-songwriter’s eighth album is of uniform style and slow pace, but rich in powerfully strong melodies and memorable lines
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Israel Nash
Album review: The Texas singer-songwriter’s latest LP indeed is a gem – infused with slow country, prog rock, southern gospel-soul, the folk and ‘70s psych-rock, with more than a dash of Neil Young, slide guitar and geographical reference
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Buck Meek
Album review: Perfect for a relaxed Sunday evening listen, this laid back second LP by the guitarist from Big Thief is also wry, melancholic, cathartic, naked candlelight confessions of heartbreak, resiliency, charm and enchantment
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A catchy oddball odyssey: SkyWay Man’s new album
Album review: The second full-length project from American rock/cosmic country/psychedelic folk singer, songwriter and producer James Wallace is a catchy, but very easy listen oddball odyssey, a cinematic psych folk opera
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Pearl Charles: perfect reflection of another era
Album review: An uncannily perfect reflection but very enjoyable throwback to mainstream singer-songwriter pop from the mid 1970s in the style of ABBA, Carly Simon, Carol King and more by the 29-year-old from LA
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Barry Gibb
Album review: Surviving Gibb brother Barry is joined by a host of country stars from including Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss and Keith Urban in a celebration of great songwriting, but is this sublime or a safe, saccharine 70s indulgence?
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Great albums of 2020: clockwise from top: Agnes Obel, Phoebe Bridgers, Bob Dylan and Sault’s Untitled (Rise)
Albums of 2020 roundup: Out of crisis comes great art. A year of lockdowns, no gigs, alternative sounds, experimentation and surprises. This is the second half of our roundup of favourite albums of 2020. Part 1 was here
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Lianne La Havas, Fiona Apple and Yves Tumor are among three artists who have released outstanding LPs
Albums of 2020 roundup: A year of lockdowns, alternative sounds, experimentation and surprises. This is the first half two roundups of a total over 50 favourite albums of the year that musicians stayed at home. And here’s Part 2.
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This week’s nine is filled with contrast, but also many 2020 themes …
Album reviews roundup: A selection of contrasts – some dark, 2020-slanted Christmas other recent seasonal releases and other recents and earlier releases, from Chilly Gonzales to Mark Lanegan and a Beethoven anniversary piece
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Nine more albums to help complete further selections reflecting on 2020
Album reviews roundup: From the former Beatle to a country/pop mainstream artist, 2020’s running theme seems inspire isolation, survival, DIY and experimentation. But as this selection shows, there are also many new, innovative artists out there
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