As the album progresses, a powerful expansion of Del Rey's folkier inclinations. [Apr 2021, p.80]

Topaz conveys a strong undercurrent of social commentary. [Apr 2021, p.82]

Despite the classical milieu, this is very much Metheny music. [Apr 2021, p.87]

While showcasing a further surfeit of talents - Zongo Brigade's K.O.G., Ghanaian singer Pat Thomas, a rap-happy Soweto Kinch - could make Freedom Fables feel like a compilation, a wide streak of jazz connects the dots. [Mar 2021, p.90]

Might be one of the very best, and a neat entry point for new explorers. [Apr 2021, p.85]

It's Lynn's show, and she and the band are on fine form. [Apr 2021, p.81]

Remastered with a disc of rarities and curiously, a screamtastic bootleg-quality 1980 show at Tokyo's Budokan. [Apr 2021, p.97]

The idiosyncrasies of her voice are showcased to full effect in soul showstopper Call Me A Fool, with dramatic rasping and swooping that some might find off-putting, but which undeniably underlines her distinctive character. There's a delicacy too. [Apr 2021, p.80]

Throughout, a recurring Satie-like piano motif floats in and out, soothing the raw emotions. [Apr 2021, p.83]

The Pet Parade is calmer, folkier, and more accommodating to Johnson's pinched nasal tones. [Apr 2021, p.84]

The vocals are spot-on and so is the musicianship. [Apr 2021, p.82]

Adrian Younge's ambitious album splices all-analogue blaxploitation sounds with psychedelia. It's a volatile mix for songs. [Apr 2021, p.83]

Further expands ambient pedal steel's possibilities, adding strings and piano. [Mar 2021, p.91]

Waking The Dreaming Body is both welcoming comfort and a surprising joy. [Apr 2021, p.82]

Each track is a combination of the cosmic and the deliberate. ... What connects these songs is Weaver's unearthly voice. [Apr 2021, p.86]

Strawbs are clearly not intent on coasting. [Apr 2021, p.81]

It seems that self-examination has taken them to bold, new places. [Apr 2021, p.80]

The hair-raising honesty of their younger incarnation might have softened, but their new confidence and control ensure theses songs let a lot of life in. [Apr 2021, p.78]

Indie-pop sung in French and English; Interrailing-inspired The Foreigner is full of Greek, Finnish and Italian. [Apr 2021, p.88]

A many-moods piece for complicated times. [Mar 2021, p.85]

Echo mostly plays safe, but signs of where Sparke can stands alone include Dog Bark Echo's red-desert heat, Everything Everything's jabbered vocal and dissonant piano, and a particularly devastated Bad Dreams. [Apr 2021, p.81]

Invisible Cities feels three dimensional with some animated movement beneath the surface. [Mar 2021, p.89]

In sterling voice throughout. [Apr 2021, p.84]

The album levitates with light and serenity. [Mar 2021, p.88]

This album works best when it gives its ideas and sounds space. [Feb 2021, p.86]

It can be vague on the details, but Baker's songwriting is smart and serious enough to keep Little Oblivions from burning out entirely. [Apr 2021, p.86]

It's Numbers that punches hardest, it's compassionate message about the futility of measuring ourselves against others deftly handled. [Apr 2021, p.86]

Overflowing with ideas. [Apr 2021, p.83]