Lowdown lap steel and Telecaster collaborations with D. Charles Speer and The Helix, inspired by Link Wray,

Settings of the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Following Alan Lomax, Daptone placed a small local ad, asking singers to show at Mt Marian Church a certain Saturday. This marvellous record of acappella gospel is the result, including everyone who showed up.

Back with a pared-down, western sound. Bitter-sweet and nostalgic, but cut with longing, fantasy and hopefulness, in a daze (sometimes child-like) over lost love, lost innocence, lost years. ‘****’ (Mojo).

Hypnotic semi-acoustic mantras with spirits, bells and percussion from the driving opener to live favourite Silent Prayer. With Ethan Miller on sitar (Somewhere Between) and melting heads on the closer.

Patti Smithed. ‘Lyrically, stylistically and musically, this is a fearless, soon to be classic post-punk rock and roll record that delivers the goods from start to finish.’

Back in business, with his best outing for a while, this is class.
Fine songwriting, steeped in its own version of Americana (Don Williams, late Elvis), and richly produced.

Jazz-folk originally issued in 1977 by the BRBQ label out of Bloomington, Indiana; reissued here with extras by Numero.

Terrific solo guitar music, steeped in ragtime and country blues, but this time going after something else too —  ‘in a harsh climate… this new one reaches a little further both into the past and the future’.

Pals being Micah Blue Smaldone, Glenn Jones, Michael Gangloff and Nathan Bowles (both of the Black Twig Pickers), and Harmonica Dan. The great ‘Jack Rose’ was hitherto hard-to-get.

Deliciously ethereal and dark folk from the duo of Oxford’s Sharron Kraus and Philly’s Tara Burke (aka Fursaxa).

A collection of EPs recorded at home, most Decembers since 2001, and given to friends as Christmas cards. Traditional carols and many originals, with stickers, stories, a songbook, and a bunch of stocking fillers.

Respite from his recent firestorms, this conjures from spellbinding acoustics and drones galore something meditative and darkly unsettling by turns. Fine vocals and shredding axe work from Elisa Ambrogio.

Soulful American folk: a gorgeous, heart-stopping mixture of the longing you get in saudade — singers like Cesaria Evora and Joao Gilberto — and political protest. Will Oldham’s in there; so is Dionne Warwick.

Mostly this is slow, stricken Lucinda, as moving and compelling as she gets, grieving for her mum and furious with an ex. Worth putting up with the Patti Smith impressions.