In the hands of a wannabe, the aforementioned songs might sound somewhat cloying, but given Young’s rugged vocals and apparent reservoir of conviction, the emotions ring true.

Even though its origins are a bit unique, And I’ll Scratch Yours is still your garden-variety tribute album, subject to all of the perks and limitations that such projects tend to contain.

How Barn will shape up in terms of Young’s catalog of classics remains to be seen of course. The fact that he’s willing to revisit his older material in both style and substance ensures that the continued reverence for his work will remain unabated. In that regard, he remains forever Young.

Adorable, confident, and self-assured define beabadoobee on her most mature album yet.

I Speak Because I Can is composed of mature, sophisticated but relatable songs, performed as only Marling can perform them, showcasing not only a broader vocal range and more intricate guitar parts than on her previous album, but a new breadth of experience, resulting in a balanced album that can sound as enshrouded in shadow as it does enlightened.

This is as authentic as anything out of Nashville or Texas, elevated with terrific backing musicians who have supported such US loving Brits as Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello and Graham Parker.

This is an impressive first effort. ... Her authority, poise and sense of self resonates as a new yet seasoned artist, just getting started and with a promising career ahead.

Like most double albums, this one could do with some judicious editing. It’s a logical reason to bring in an outside ear which, with multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Sweet credited as producer, engineer and mixer, hasn’t happened here. Regardless, Sweet fans who are a bit of a cult at this stage, will rejoice with this reflective new music.

The sheer quality of the songwriting and performances were sharpened and refined over many months yielding a set that’s impressively catchy and immediately satisfying.

The 10 tunes fly by in the fastest 40 minutes of your life. No need to pick and choose favorites either, because there’s little filler on a debut that knows the approach it wants and nails it with graceful professionalism and buckets of passion.

Despite his decidedly downcast demeanor — imagine John Cale, Nick Cave and Lou Reed crashing one another’s therapy sessions and turning them into one colossal vent — several songs find a spark that manages to illuminate even the darkest designs.

Seven Psalms is certainly an intriguing album, but not necessarily one that will reflect the faith of his followers.

All of this impeccable accompaniment wouldn’t amount to much without terrific songs sung with emotion and drive, which is where Mae excels.

The dichotomy of Jones’ softer touch with material subtly flowing into darker, more ominous territory and instrumentation that expands her palette into moodier areas provides Pick Me Off the Floor with its tensest moments. Perhaps she hasn’t gone far enough since the tone of the ballad-heavy album could use a little more juice to mix things up. But the eclectic, always classy Jones tweaks even the most unruffled tracks here with enough of an edge to keep things interesting.

The record is, in many ways, the very project longtime fans of the Alabama singer-songwriter might have been hoping for for years: a direct collection of sharply-written originals that place White’s vulnerable vocals front and center.

Bauer has been sitting on these feelings for over a decade, but he chose a great way to share them.

While it might not be breaking any new ground, Buddy & Jim is hard to top when it comes to supremely enjoyable Americana music.

Between the lyrics questioning relationships and music that swirls and soars, Sucker’s Lunch isn’t easy listening. But those who dig deeper into Madeline Kenney’s uncertainties about love and affection will relate to the difficulties this process of starting a new serious relationship can be, and how wonderfully these complex and beautifully crafted songs tackle, even obliquely, that thorny subject.

Cobb’s touch could use a little more grit overall, but Lund delivers an enjoyable romp that gets points on diversity. The album displays his impressive lyrical skills and enough sparks that could catch fire in tougher live versions propelled by rowdy crowds and concert electricity.

Darlingside is an act that has latched onto a unique sound and rides it for 40 glorious minutes on the gorgeous and confident Extralife.

Another dozen perfectly crafted ringing nuggets that pick up where 1982's "Repercussion," the last album that featured the original lineup, left off.

Yet, as familiar as some of his phrases sound, lines like "the watertower has more names" are still striking in their simple evocation of what revisiting the past can be like.

In the moving disc closer "Mimi Song," she asks her listener to "tell them about me when I'm gone" and to "remember me." With an alluring album such as this one, that request shouldn't be hard to do.

These guys clearly know their roots, and English Oceans is all about getting back to where they came from.

Nothing approaches rock, or even rock oriented. Rather Melua keeps her expressive, mellifluous voice focused on mood and atmosphere, letting the songs and orchestrations do the heavy lifting.

The sound is quintessentially opiate--almost sleep-inducing--and upon writing that, it should be clarified as a compliment, kind of like falling asleep to NPR: It gives good information, but the undertones and lush notes can lull you to dreams.

Dawes's second album succeeds on its own terms, and will appeal to fans of solid roots-rock songwriting.

Typical of many timeless albums, the whole of The Exodus Suite is greater than its impressive parts. Carve 50 minutes out of your life and spend time reveling in its thought provoking, often mesmerizing and riveting pleasures.