New Clouds is at once both denser and groovier. [Nov 2009, p.113]

Yorkston may have set aside his “personal muse” for a moment, but Folk Songs is still part of his rich re-imagining of our heritage.

It's pleasantly winsome, sweetly aranged, but Anna Persson lacks the lugubrious voal presence of Traceyanne Campbell, and you long for sme of the sauce r spirit that inspires a group to name themselves in honour of a Serge Gainsbourg song. [Apr 2010, p.97]

Guitarist Glenn Page appears to be channelling namesake Jimmy in his Yardbirds days, while the spot-on harmonies of "After You're Gone" suggest a live anthem in waiting. [Mar 2010, p.93]

All round, the party vibe oozes self-confidence. [Dec 2010, p.90]

It's Cervenka's superb vocals that make this a carer highlight. [Apr 2011, p.77]

It would be silly to expect surprises from the Fairports at this late point, and their first album in four years proves as well tended and predictable as a Cotswold village. [May 2011, p.85]

Her seventh solo album is effectively her third LP of self-penned pop songs, and it suits her bawdy contralto voice rather better. [Jun 2011, p.79]

Rare Bird Alert, recorded with the Steep Canyon Rangers, is a more rounded than 2009's mostly instrumental The Crow. [Jul 2011, p.92]

Cooing fragmentary, dreamlike lyrics in a fuzzy-warm purr, this young singer's kittenish vocal affectations will grate on some... [but] Dillon redeems her whimsy with promising nods towards Bjork, Joanna Newsom and Lykke Li. [Jan 2012, p.84]

Laura J. Martin's debut album is an extraordinary and eclectic mix of flute, loops, mandolin and xylophone. [Feb 2012, p.92]

The trio's blend of live performance, samples and electronica is hardly groundbreaking. [Feb 2012, p.98]

It's the more spartan, folksier tracks, like "Greeny Blue," that hint at better things to come. [Apr 2012, p.81]

There's a heightened atmosphere and sense of scale throughout. [Jun 2012, p.84]

The follow-up, recorded in a fully equipped studio with backing band, retains an acoustic ethic, but is more richly textured. [Jul 2012, p.84]

There's ample sustenance for the heart as well as the head. [Jul 2012, p.68]

Gelb's masterstroke is the inclusion of Brian Lopez, Gabriel Sullivan and Jon Villa, whose flourishes of Tex-Mex and cumbia accentuate Tuscon's feel of pan-cultural enchantment. [Jul 2012, p.70]

Hot Panda have produced a terrific album, one which combines intellectual and lyrical heft with a sure ear for a catchy riff. [Sep 2012, p.79]

The album's only real flaw is a penchant for sketchy, banal lyrics that can jar with the imaginative and highly polished musical backdrop. [Oct 2012, p.71]

Like Golightly's solid output since burying Thee Headcoatees in the late '90s, Sunday revolves around amped-up reinventions of mid-century hillbilly, honky-tonk, blues and country. [Nov 2012, p.75]

Mystic Pinball is another assemblage of breezy balladry and snarling storytelling, delivered in the familiar Cookie Monster drawl. [Nov 2012, p.75]

A thrillingly inventive blend of alt.rock, fingerpicking folk, Latin flavours and--new this--electronic pop. [Apr 2013, p.67]

There's an unwelcome hint of Florence Welch's swollen emotionalism on "Tomorrow," but the surging pop of "Touch" is more successful. [Apr 2013, p.69]

A bold 10-track classic boasting a deftly modernised '70s-retro feel led by Hobba's clean young voice and dirty, Neil Young-meets-shoegaze guitar. [Apr 2013, p.77]

The tone of observational distance build to an understated climax with "Shadow Boy." [Jun 2013, p.74]

Wings Over America is, like any triple live album, too bloody long. But its also a snapshot of a Paul McCartney who, despite some of the Wings album-track dross, felt compelled to make surreal symphonic pop that continued the pop ideals of Sgt Pepper and The White Album.

West and his Congo crew hook up with On-U Sound's Adrian Sherwood for a familiar set that marries reggae spirituals to the fortified jungle of the soundsystem. [Aug 2013, p.69]

Fabricius presides over a judicious mix of Urban Outfitters indie, finger-picked folk and offbeat electro that demonstrate her range and leaves the listener drowning in honey. [Nov 2013, p.76]