This week we review the latest albums Galactic, Pavement, Anjelique Kidjo, Helen Van Der Linden, and Johnny Cash.
4 stars (out of 5)
New Orleans jam band Galactic called on a host of the city's established stars to contribute to this mishmash of irresistible dance numbers, drawing heavily on "bounce" hip-hop, jazz and funk styles.
Soul singer Irma Thomas, R&B figurehead Allen Toussaint and the Rebirth Brass Band feature, as do a clutch of younger New Orleans artists, but the band's energetic and highly capable playing is the real attraction here.
The bottom end is fat and the top end is brassy, the two essentials for any sweaty, swanky street party.
Single download: Heart Of Steel
For those who like: Boozoo Bajou, hip-hop, street funk- Jeff Harford
4 stars (out of 5)
This 23-track compilation from the band that throughout the 1990s worked mighty hard at making loose-and-lazy guitar-rock gems is a great place to start for those wondering what all the fuss was about.
The better-known, lightly weighted numbers are sprinkled through the non-sequential running order to represent Pavement's whimsical side (Gold Soundz, Cut Your Hair, Shady Lane) but there are sufficient darker classics included to reinforce the band's reputation as a master of cryptic, lo-fi pop.
Arguably, this is not a true Best Of collection; more a taster for those interested in further exploring the back catalogue.
Single download: Gold Soundz
For those who like: 3Ds, lo-fi grunge pop- Jeff Harford
3 stars (out of 5)
African diva Anjelique Kidjo's reach is broad on this tribute (of sorts) to her varied musical influences.
US-style soul/funk provides a solid base, Kidjo adding a Yoruban twist to songs by Carlos Santana, Otis Redding, James Brown and Aretha Franklin, but the more revelatory tracks include African lullabies, a Sidney Bechet tune, even a Bollywood number.
The most arresting moment is a gorgeous cello and guitar-driven version of Bechet's Petite Fleur (sung in French), but for flat-out kicks it's impossible to go past Kelele, a full-on dance-floor workout featuring Ms Kidjo at her most exuberant.
Single download: Kelele
For those who like: Miriam Makeba, Amadou and Mariam, Soha
- Paul Mooney
3 stars (out of 5)
The debut EP from 2009 Gold Guitar winner Helen Van Der Linden is a slick yet breezy collection of covers designed, one suspects, as a calling card for the Gore singer's professional ambitions.
Brandishing flawless intonation and a vocal quality not dissimilar to Anne Murray's, Van Der Linden wanders over a range of terrain, including Canadian Tami Neilsen's excellent Cigarette, Jim Lauderdale's jazz-tinged Planet of Love and Norah Jones' Lonestar.
Armed with her own material, this talented mum could roam far.
Single download: Lonestar
For those who like: Norah Jones
- Shane Gilchrist
5 stars (out of 5)
The sixth and final instalment in the collection of songs that comprise Johnny Cash's American Recordings series is as profound and intimate as the first, released in 1994.
According to producer Rick Rubin, Cash was weak, in pain and desperately low following the death of his wife, June Carter Cash, in May 2003.
Less than four months from his own death, Cash conveys plenty of sorrow but ultimately remains uplifting over 10 songs, from the title track, a traditional, to Bob Nolan's Cool Water and closing number Aloha Oe.
Single download: For The Good Times (Kris Kristofferson)
For those who like: Guess who
- Shane Gilchrist
