Tori Amos. Diving Deep Live.
She looks like she stepped out of a Tolkien saga, but flame-haired preacher’s daughter Tori is one of the most distinctive and influential solo artists of her generation.
Her 1992 debut album Little Earthquakes sold 3million copies, and she notched up 11 Top 30 UK hits including chart-topper Professional Widow.
Fifteen studio albums later, her third live album offers fans a deeper dive into the alt-pop star’s back catalogue.
It was recorded during Tori’s 93-date Ocean To Ocean tour. Featuring Amos on multiple pianos, plus bassist and drummer, it captures her knack for marrying spiky lyrics to hauntingly dreamy soundscapes.
The twelve songs include her waltz-paced Top 5 hit Cornflake Girl, inspired by the obscene practice of female genital mutilation in Africa, and the fake friends who betray the young victims.
Carolina-born, Cornwall-based, Celtic-looking Amos has never been afraid to attack injustice. Her skill is to do it in an accessible way, with wit, hooks, and an enchanting southern Gothic vibe.
Opener God targets religion for letting women down, from witch burning on. ‘God, sometimes you don’t come through,’ she sings. ‘Do you need a woman to look after you?’
Silent All These Years (which she initially wrote for Al Stewart) continues the feminist theme, wedding the anger of the lyrics to sublimely beguiling music.
Diving Deep Live comes as a 2LP or 3CD set (with four extra songs).
Kendrick Lamar. GNX.
The greatest living rapper rides the success of his Drake-dissing Not Like Us with a surprise album. Drake gets it in the neck again on Heart Pt 6 but Lamar also swipes at Lil Wayne Snoop Dogg. Best are Luther, an amorous duet with SZA referencing Vandross, and Wacced Out Murals about fame-induced paranoia. On Reincarnated, Compton-born Kendrick claims to have been blues legends John Lee Hooker and Bessie Smith in previous lives before confronting himself as the Almighty, all driven by a Tupac sample.
Lauren Mayberry. Vicious Creature.
The Chvrches singer’s first solo album overflows with promise and strong melodies. Songs range from piano ballad Are You Awake? – about missing Glasgow – to Mantra, a beguilingly moody number with echoes of Kate Bush. Lauren’s seductive opener, Something In The Air, inspired by conspiracy theories, shines far brighter than the straight-forward synth-pop of Crocodile Tears.
Brooks & Dunn. Reboot II.
The country duo haven’t released a new album since Cowboy Town in 2007. Why bother when Nashville stars are queuing up to cover their old gear? Highs include Hailey Whitters’s perfect retread of She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind, Morgan Wallen’s moving Neon Moon and the attacking rock of Halestorm on Boot Scootin Boogie. Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll are among the high-quality guests.
Katie Melia. Live At The Royal Albert Hall.
Katie’s third live album celebrates the first 20 years of her career. We get 21 songs, recorded in May 2023, including those big noughties hits Nine Million Bicycles and The Closest Thing To Crazy, as well as the first live recordings of newer numbers like Golden Record and Quiet Moves. The Georgia-born star is in fine fettle form performing to the sold-out throng. Her live take on fan favourite I Cried For You is simply beautiful.