Rianne Downey. The Consequence Of Love. Her mother says she could sing before she could speak – and what a bewitchingly distinctive voice she has. Rianne has gone from busking in Glasgow streets to performing with Paul Heaton at Glastonbury. Now the Scottish songbird doubles down on her buzz with a delicious debut album suffused with emotional honesty and Sumo-sized hooks. Rianne’s folk-flavoured country pop has echoes of her musical heroes, like Patsy Cline, but she uses her influences as a springboard. Lively opener Good In Goodbye is as instant as a TikTok reel as Rianne reminds us you can recover from heartbreak – ‘There’s a ‘good’ in goodbye’. The soaring title track, steeped in melancholy, was inspired by the loss of her grandmother. Other songs are dreamy, with distinct Celtic echoes, like the mellow The Song Of Old Glencoe and gentle ballad Because. The ten tracks range from the delicate Angel with its finger-picked acoustic intro and message of empowerment, to the blissfully upbeat Sunblind – ‘I’ve got a boy, he’s like water running through my hands’, she sings. Her natural quirkiness makes her stand out, and producer, Grammy-winner Ryan Hadlock, brings out the best in her. North Lanarkshire-born Rianne is surely nailed on for stardom. ‘God loves a trier,’ she says, but she doesn’t have to try too hard. She just needs to stay true to herself and let her talent do the rest.
Janet Devlin. Not My First Emotional Rodeo. Yee-haw! The Northern Irish country singer reboots her Emotional Rodeo album with 8 extra tracks. New songs stretch from the cantering Candy and upbeat, banjo-driven Houston to I’ll Fly Away, an old-school take on the 1930s gospel hymn. Ballad Plastic Pistols could have ridden in from a Spaghetti Western. Her vocals are warm and engaging; her potential enormous. The roots of country are in the folk music of the British Isles. With strong young voices like Rianne and Janet, country’s coming home.
The Last Dinner Party. From The Pyre. Gloriously retro while feeling entirely current, the London-based band combine playful, accessible rock with theatre and imagination dark enough to celebrated the apocalypse. Very Weimar. There are hints of Roxy Music, goth and psych-pop. Deliciously creepy Count The Ways nods to the Arctic Monkeys and the Beatles. There are rockers and ballads, a stirring choir open Second Best. No difficult second album here.
Rick Wakeman. Melancholia. The 3rd instalment of the loveable virtuoso keyboardist’s piano trilogy. Although mining sadness, Yes star Rick’s 12 introspective compositions have innate beauty, emotional depth and positivity. Moods vary from the sweepingly reflective Sitting In The Window to The Morning Light’s beatific vibe. Garo & Sea Of Tranquillity are steeped in grace and feeling.
Chrissie Hynde & Pals. Duets Special. Proudly awkward and sublimely talented, Pretenders star Chrissie pairs her yearning vocals with 13 greats – Debbie Harry (Try To Sleep), Brandon Flowers (I’m Not In Love), Lucinda Williams (Sway). Her soulful cover of Me & Mrs Jones with k.d. lang is achingly seductive; Always On My Mind with Rufus Wainwright is blissful. Cat Power gets the cream.
The Subways. When I’m With You. This 24-track ‘best-of’ comp from the Hertfordshire trio packs in high-energy noughties garage rock anthems like Oh Yeah and a re-imagined Rock ’n’ Roll Queen. Sing-along acoustic festival favourite Mary is here of course, plus two new numbers – catchy, driving I Need To Feel You Closer is a belter. Out today on 2xLP marbled vinyl and CD.
John Fishell & Deepak Ram. Notorious Partners In Crime. The US jazz-rocker and the Indian flautist team up on an unforced East-meets-West collaboration full of surprises. Space Time, with its shifting time signatures, has the feel of jazzy prog-rock. Ram’s familiar instrumental pieces are reworked with lyrics. Fishell’s gravelly classic rock vocals enhance Tim Hardin’s folk-rock classic If I Were A Carpenter which flute substitutes flute for the lead guitar part. A bold experiment that often comes off.