TOWNES VAN ZANDT - Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions & Demos

From the ever-intriguing desk of Omnivore Recordings (who also brought us such recent archival finds as Darondo's Listen To My Song, Two Things In One's Together Forever and Alex Chilton's Free Again: The "1970" Sessions, with a Gene Clark White Light demos set soon to follow in late March) comes this trove of alternate versions, mixes and demos, with astute liners by Hank Williams biographer and roots music authority Colin Escott.

"Sunshine Boy will only burnish Van Zandt’s legend. Even those who think they know him will find stark new insights into his doomed genius. Unlike your typical star, shooting or otherwise, Van Zandt’s most important music, his best stuff, didn’t happen right away. Instead, it was on 1971's High, Low and In Between and 1972's The Late Great, now a bitterly ironic title. Songs from those projects (his fifth and sixth, respectively) make up the bulk of Sunshine Boy, and the bulk of the project's new revelations, as well. "Pancho and Lefty," for instance, is presented without strings or horns. His Dylan-esque pretensions are made clear during this raw take on “Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold.” “To Live Is To Fly” takes on an even greater, devastating beauty. Maybe more interesting, however, are the stripped-down versions of earlier songs that producer Cowboy Jack Clements had dimmed with of-the-moment, overly pretty Nashville production—de rigueur at the turn of the 1970s, but hopelessly dated today. The four demos here from 1970's eponymous release and 1971's Delta Momma Blues may be the most revealing of all." - Something Else!

CHRIS DARROW - Artist Proof

Thankfully, the well of fantastic reissue finds is unlikely to dry up anytime soon; while we were somewhat familiar with the name Chris Darrow (if mainly through having once stocked Everlasting's 2009 deluxe LP boxset compiling his 1973 self-titled album and '74's Under My Own Disguise), this Drag City release of 1972's Artist Proof is a worthy official (and far less limited) introduction to the man's work—we're glad to have finally fully made its/his acquaintance!

"The history of rock and roll in the 1960s is filled with side trips and familiar names mixed together with more trips involving even more names, sometimes less known. One of those names still owed a piece of your mind is California picker, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Darrow. Already a veteran of several bands and scenes on the L.A. landscape, Chris was a founding member of the west coast Kaleidoscope. He went his own way after the recording of their second album A Beacon From Mars to pursue music on his own terms...Chris' solo debut is a rich and powerful dose of California country rock, written almost entirely by Chris and played with grit and precision by a cast of great players." - Groove Attack Records

"Artist Proof is a coming together of young people testing their formative influences in the light of a new day, creating something different in the process, which is likely why the album feels so fresh! Back in print for the first time in 40 years and finally ushered into the digital realm, Artist Proof's debossed LP jacket has been carefully reproduced along with photos from Chris Darrow's archive, bringing back the time of a new feeling in American music in all its melodic, singular glory." - Drag City

ALASDAIR ROBERTS & FRIENDS - A Wonder Working Stone

A Wonder Working Stone marks Alasdair Roberts' first full-length of original tunes since 2009's brilliant Spoils, and carries well the influence of his two albums of traditional music made along the way. A generous helping of borrowed melodies find his charmingly morbid songs in more varied settings than ever before, albeit still anchored by Roberts' unique fingerpicking and a sympathetic band.

"Alasdair Roberts' musical foundations extend deep into the bedrock of the traditional folk of Scotland and the British Isles. Fuelled by restless curiosity and a scholar's attention to detail, Roberts has long split his attentions between interpretations of traditional material and his own original songs, while often leaving blurry the distinction between the two. On A Wonder Working Stone, his first collection of all original material since 2009's Spoils, the line separating the traditional from the personal is purposefully left fuzzier than ever. Stray bits and pieces from old fiddle tunes and Scottish bagpipe marches are woven tightly with Roberts' thorny lyrics to create elaborate, raucous medleys that can seem almost like a tin-can-and-string phone connection between the past and the present." - Pitchfork

"A master of mesmeric laments, Roberts can conjure dusky cemetery air in a twitching of his fingers or sombre exhalation, yet A Wonder Working Stone offers high spirits in the gloaming as well as low. I suspect only he could rhyme abracadabra with 'intact cadaver'—but embracing life and the living requires toleration of misdeed and acceptance of mortality, appreciation that love survives time. All days will end, and it must be hoped they’ll end in joy." - The Line of Best Fit

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (DVD/Blu-ray)

A must-see documentary for music fans, Searching For Sugar Man is the story of Sixto Rodriguez, a singer from the early '70s little known in his native USA who became a musical folk hero in South Africa. After seeing this film, you'll want to buy his music which accounts for why the soundtrack was our #7 Top Selling release of 2012. We also stock his albums Cold Fact and Coming From Reality both reissued by Light In The Attic records a few years ago.

"Music documentaries have come thick and fast in 2012, but this one’s the best and easily the most successful...It’s a heartening, uplifting film, touched by the shy, sweet-natured spirit of Rodriguez; you find yourself willing him to succeed. Director Malik Bendjelloul structures his story skilfully, and in a 30-minute ‘making of’ extra, engagingly relates how he came close to abandoning Searching for Sugarman because he had ran out of money. He emerges every bit as much of an underdog as Rodriguez himself." - The Telegraph

DAN PENN - The Fame Recordings

Finally! An entire compilation devoted to the masterful songs of Dan Penn as performed by the man himself. These aren't the definitive versions of these songs, but they're still great and any fan of soul music needs this set in their collection.

"Dan Penn is recognised as one of the great songsmiths of the past 50 years. Music historian Peter Guralnick once described him as the 'secret hero' of 60s R&B. For many, Penn’s material defines the essence of southern soul writing, but his catalogue also retains the ability to transcend musical barriers; classics such as 'I'm Your Puppet' and'‘Do Right Woman' have scaled the pop and country charts in equal measure. With his principal collaborator Spooner Oldham, Penn lent R&B songwriting a class and eloquence that has rarely been bettered.

This much-anticipated collection, however, reveals the flowering of Dan Penn as an artist in his own right. It’s collated from the hard evidence of three amazing and educational years spent at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals as a staff writer – an apprenticeship that was as important in helping him find a voice as it was in forging the songcraft that made his name." - Ace Records

ALFONSO LOVO - La Gigantona

An incredible acetate find from those intrepid archivists at Numero, La Gigantona runs the gamut from frenzied desgargas to Spanish guitar, Afrobeat-ish horn charts, Echoplexed tape-delay dub-outs and stinging Santana-like leads, yet remains a stunningly coherent and cohesive listen.

"The son of a prominent Nicaraguan politician, Lovo was a choice target for the Sandinista rebels who hijacked his homeward flight from Miami in December of 1971, ultimately putting several rounds through the talented musician’s torso and hand. After several years, and as many surgeries, he would break new ground on this psychedelic swirl of Latin jazz and pan-American funk with his musical partner, percussionist Jose 'Chepito' Areas." - Numero Group

SNOWBLINK - Inner Classics

With their previous album Long Live, Toronto's Snowblink caught the attention of all of us here at the shop with its soaring peaks and majestic valleys propelled by singer Daniela Gesundheit. They also caught the ear of Arts & Crafts, who have just released their beautiful follow-up record Inner Classics.

"Originally from California, Snowblink’s Daniela Gesundheit has integrated herself  deeply into the music scene of her adopted Toronto. Her 2010 debut album as Snowblink, Long Live, was recorded before she moved here, but the glistening space folk fit in perfectly with Toronto’s sound and caught the ear of critics as well as fellow musicians. On her follow-up full-length, she develops her voice further while maintaining the delicate beauty that made her debut so enchanting." - NOW Magazine

"...Snowblink’s real ability to expand on the singer/songwriter genre stems from Gesundheit’s confidence. In “Goodbye Eyes,” she shows no fear as she sings nothing but music scales except for the last line of the song. “Inner Mini-Mississippi” proves the best music in this genre is led by vocals, and Gesundheit boldly leads the track through a progression of gentle guitar to intense chords to a confident a capella section. Snowblink’s understanding of the potential of the singer/songwriter music style is what ultimately makes Inner Classics a complete success." - The Gateway

"Long Live was an overlooked collection of art/folk songs, but with Inner Classics the band announces itself into the Canadian scene with class and grace." - Herohill

(Snowblink and Alex Lukashevsky release their respective new releases Inner Classics and Too Late Blues at the Music Gallery on Thu. Sep 27.)

CAT POWER - Sun

Chan Marshall—the enigmatic musician who presents herself as Cat Power to the world—had for a long time built a career out of the hushed and dour. The fact that she did both with such radiant humanity and magnetic frailty turned her into one of the most beloved and (ironically, given her famously erratic performances) dependable singers of her generation.

Her body of work has shown her to be a master interpreter (on two terrific covers albums, especially the austere 2000 album The Covers Record), a very capable blue-eyed soul singer, and, above all, a peerless chronicler of despair. It's that last trait which, so grand an asset for so many years, began to feel like a weight under which Marshall was going to be crushed, both in her career and even her own life. Indeed, the one thing that this talented artist seemed to lack entirely (and need desperately) was a sense of fun.

2006's The Greatest began to turn the tide slightly, as did the follow-up, Jukebox—albums wherein a certain levity and casual grace started to mix with her already well-crafted foreboding nature and heavy heart. A positively exuberant cover of Dylan's "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" on the soundtrack for the film I'm Not There pushed her even further into the realm of gleeful. As horns raced and Marshall teasingly slurred through the Bard's brilliant couplets, I doubt I was the  only one thinking that this was the kind of song that would've turned The Greatest into a record truly befitting its name.

And now we've got Sun, an album that—in its own sly way—really does live up to its title. There may not be a horn jam to rival her take on "Stuck...," but I take no small pleasure in saying this is easily the funnest Cat Power album to date. If that sounds like a bit of a joke in itself, fair enough, but this is neither damning with faint praise, nor is it a suggestion that she's suddenly become Lesley Gore. Throughout, Sun remains a Cat Power album, concerned with self-examination, fate, love, rights, and all things messed up in the world. But there's simply no mistaking the joy and abandon with which she throws herself into the material.

Behind real hooks and full-blooded dance grooves, tracks like "Ruin," "3,6,9" and "Manhattan" are sung with the kind of peace that Marshall has never really shown before. It's not extroverted joy so much as an inner contentedness—the album projects this so consistently that one can even excuse the occasional use of auto-tune or kitschy eagle screech sample.

And when the record arrives at its penultimate statement, the 11-minute "Nothin But Time," we find Marshall (alongside the undying Iggy Pop, no less) wrapped in a series of mantras that best reflect where she seems to be right now: "You wanna live! You ain't got nothin but time. Your world is just beginning..."

Is it a ruse? Perhaps, but while it's none of our business, I'm guessing no. Because as warm as Sun makes one feel upon listening to it, none of it feels forced or insincere. In this way, it's still a classic Cat Power album—still a window into the soul of a person who's never been especially good at faking anything. And whether or not this is just a phase or truly a new life that's "just beginning", it's a moment you'll want to share with her.

EVENING HYMNS - Spectral Dusk

OK, full disclosure: we know these people. Heck, if you shop at our store, you might, too. Bassist/singer Sylvie Smith has worked here for years, and songwriter/singer/guitarist Jonas Bonnetta has broken bread with some of us at parties, camping trips, and dinners. Often when you know a band, warm feelings encourage you to wallpaper over their faults with hyperbole and colourful metaphor because you just can't bear being blunt with people so lovely. A few other times, their talents are actually so otherworldly, that you struggle to appear impartial as you bubble forth with dumbfounded praise that, while genuine, simply reads as scenester nepotism.

Evening Hymns are neither case. This not only makes them a little easier to write about honestly; it's also one of the greatest strengths of their music.

Everything on Spectral Dusk unfolds in a manner that is entirely devoid of trend, fashion, or artifice. It's ambiently-paced folk music whose construction is never convoluted. Instead, you can envision each piece being put together as you hear it—this chord here, that tom hit there, this slide guitar call underneath—until there it is. (In a way, their music stands as naked as the band members themselves were in their video for "Dead Deer," a standout track off 2009's Spirit Guides.)

Like Mark Kozelek's various projects (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon, solo) you really can't tell if it's 1972 or 1992 or 2012 as you hear these songs. They simply are as they should be at any moment in time. This timelessness is fitting given that the album is a meditation by Bonnetta on the passing of his father, an inevitable moment in all of our lives.

It’s a difficult business eulogizing a loved one in a public forum. Though we all experience loss, so much of what brings meaning to our emotions is rooted in private context. Bonnetta appears to sense this. Rather than overwhelm the record in sentiments either maudlin or saccharine, he smartly grounds his songs in imagery, instrumentation, and even actual field recordings that evoke nature—the one common constant through all of the change we face. His private feelings are indeed there, but they reside amongst the trees and tall grasses of Hymns’ aural landscape.

The resulting work is something that, while steeped with potent feeling, is quite balanced and composed; austere, even, at a glance. Things rarely get too loud or complicated—voices are rarely raised. Evening Hymns take a bit of risk here—by resisting submitting their music to much grand expression or crescendo, they can seem a bit too reverent and careful with their subject to really stir up the blood of the listener. But in truth, the entirety of Spectral Dusk is a bit like someone purposefully whispering to get your closer attention. It doesn't work on everyone's ears maybe, but when it does hook you, the record's gently measured rhythms and relaxed phrasings can be hypnotic, as those things that hide in the foliage are enticed cautiously into full view.

By the time the album finally reaches its penultimate climax on "Moon River"—likely Bonnetta's most emotive vocal on the album—it is a moment of well sown catharsis that has not only been earned, but that does not get oversold. No epic post-rock clanging, no Buckley-esque invocation of spirits. Twenty seconds and it's done. And it hits you right there.

With that humble summit reached, Bonnetta saves maybe his most affecting couplet for some of his last words on the record. "Oh, please come back to me/I need you if I'm to be a man/Oh, I'm not doing that well/That's just what I tell my friends," he offers on closer "Spectral Dusk." It's a perfectly oblique way to end such a record. Instead of feigned strength and tidy conclusion, we end with both vulnerability and ambiguity. For all that Bonnetta reveals of himself and his loss over the course of Spectral Dusk’s eleven tracks, he never self-aggrandizes or seeks to inflate its significance. His tribute is humanly and humanely open: to the paralysis of uncertainty; to unknown coming joys; to relapses of sorrow; and, most of all, to the interpretation of others.

And you certainly don’t need to have met the band to see the value in that.

SONNY AND THE SUNSETS - Longtime Companion

For his third full-length leading the Sunsets, Sonny Smith (mostly) tries his hand at writing heartbreaking country songs, and succeeds wildly, resulting in maybe his best album yet, with occasional touches of flute and pedal steel that add an ornate yet unshowy elegance to these recordings, offset by Smith's endearingly yelped lines relating both deep woes ("My one and only love/My babe, the divorcée") and shallow wonders ("I want something dumb/That I can understand/Let me be a dog in the sun rollin' in the sand," a line he finds so nice he uses it twice, Lindsey Buckingham-style).

"Longtime Companion is ostensibly a country album, but it’s a testament to Smith’s singularity that it mostly just sounds like a Sonny Smith album. Sure, it shuffles along a two-step pulse and comes glazed with plenty of steel-guitar weeping. Recorded after Smith and his girlfriend separated, the record does have a noticeably more wearied sound, and the twangy accoutrements add just the right amount of heartbroken creak and moan to suit the album’s circumstances. The difference is most clear on "Pretend You Love Me," which appeared on Hit After Hit as a jangly (spiked) soda-shop ballad; here, it’s a staggered, melancholy country-rocker." - Paste

"Breakups can do unpredictable things to a guy. For singer-songwriter Sonny Smith, separating from his girlfriend of 10 years led him in a musical direction he’d never gone before. The first time his singing voice appears on Longtime Companion, a second or two into opening track "I Was Born," it’s striking how different it is from his earlier work. It’s twangy and crystal-clear, the perfect aural realization of the album cover’s hapless sincerity, but also the sort of affect and presentation that might scan as Hee-Haw in the wrong hands. Fortunately for Smith, it fits him like a snug Stetson, and only becomes more endearing the longer it plays on." - A.V. Club

EPIC SOUNDTRACKS - Wild Smile: An Anthology

Epic Soundtracks' albums went out of print years ago and I've been wishin' and hopin' some enterprising label would see right to get his overlooked material back into the world again. Thankfully, Easy Action sub-label Troubadour has stepped up with a top notch presentation of highlights from his career along with a bonus disc of live tracks and rarities for the faithful. His is a sad story but he will live forever in the minds of his fans who connect with his tales of heartbreak, struggle and sometimes hope. He sings from the depths of his soul.

"Simply put, it's an excellent selection of songs that well demonstrates his heart-on-sleeve pop. Deceptively simple confections like "Farmer's Daughter" (whose main character reappears in "Emily May [You Make Me Feel So Fine]"), "You Better Run" and "Wishing Well" reveal a student of pop music who can channel his inspirations (Brian Wilson, Alex Chilton, Carole King, the Monkees) into music that sounds most like himself. Intricate mini-symphonies like "Fallen Down" and "Big Apple Graveyard" indicate more ambition than Soundtracks is usually given credit for, with an attention to detail that belies the raw emotions on display. Ballads like "There's a Rumour," "Sweet Sixteen" and "Waiting for the Train" tend to strip down to little more than voice and piano (or guitar), giving the listener no barrier between Soundtracks and what he's feeling." Blurt

"Despite his avant-punk roots as half of Swell Maps, the late Epic Soundtracks was a pop tunesmith at heart, and a big heart it was. The first disc of this double set collects the best from his three solo albums, with clear shades of Bacharach and especially the Zombies. The second disc of rarities is highlighted by his Jonathan Richman-esque “I Wish I Had a Girlfriend” and covers of the Beatles’ “I’ll Be Back” and James & Bobby Purify’s “I’m Your Puppet”. His stripped-down, vulnerable delivery is entirely suited to the lyrics of both." - Sound And Vision

CAROLE KING - The Legendary Demos

Hot on the heels of Something Good From The Goffin & King Songbook (as well as her new autobiography A Natural Woman), The Legendary Demos collects King's personal recordings spanning from 1962 to 1971.

"The set consists of thirteen works recorded from 1962, when she was working as a writer in New York’s songwriting epicenter the Brill Building, through 1971, after she’d divorced [Gerry] Goffin and moved to Laurel Canyon. The tracks on The Legendary Demos have been long coveted by collectors and King fans, and it’s easy to hear why. Though created as demo records and not intended for release, the documents contain some of King’s most casually elegant performances." - L.A. Times

"King’s grasp of composition and arrangement is astounding, with or without a band backing her. She knows exactly how her songs are supposed to sound for herself and other artists. The proof is in her solo Aldon demos, from 1961′s "Take Good Care Of My Baby," (which is far more soulful and introspective than Bobby Vee’s hit version) to sketches of songs that would later appear on Tapestry such as "Beautiful," "It’s Too Late," and the pure gospel of “Way Over Yonder.” It’s these recordings that are the highlights of this collection." - The International Review Of Music

LEE HAZLEWOOD - The LHI Years: Singles, Nudes & Backsides (1968-71)

Light In The Attic (responsible for releasing our number-one reissue of 2011, Jim Sullivan's U.F.O.) scores again with this collection of late-'60s/early-'70s gems by the brilliant Lee Hazlewood. This is the first in a series of releases delving deeply into the Hazlewood vaults that LITA plans to put out—we can't wait for more!

"While Hazlewood’s work may occasionally recall some of the lighter, lampoon-able aspects of the sixties and early seventies, there is definitely a serious side as well. In fact, while Hazlewood often dueted with pop-oriented female vocalists (most famously Nancy Sinatra), his own parts often evoke the other end of the spectrum: melancholy and longing. Whether he’s deriding 'the man' or bemoaning lost loves, Hazlewood’s rich baritone and 'straight man' attitude make for the ideal balancing act with his chipper leading ladies." - Reviler

"This is what you might call middle-period Hazlewood, after the big hits but before settling into the status of cult hero, being covered by everyone from Lydia Lunch to Billy Ray Cyrus. Here we find Hazlewood working up an act as a kind of WASP Leonard Cohen, or maybe Love’s Arthur Lee on Mogadon, with a range of lush, almost rococo orchestrations worthy of Rogerio Duprat or Jean-Claude Vannier." - The Line Of Best Fit

VA - LateNightTales by Belle and Sebastian (Volume 2)

B&S's first contribution has now sadly fallen out of print; what better time, then, for these Scots to submit a whole new set of cross-genre finds? Another solid entry in this mix series.

"Their scene-straggling 2006 LateNightTales included pure pop, '60s psych, '70s rock, West Coast harmonies, beat groups, folk balladeering, punk, indie, girl groups, and bossanova; this new selection only delves deeper into their shared influences and inspirations, along with a subtle nod to digging for rare sampled beats, not perhaps a trait usually associated with B&S. Worldwise psychedelic breaks thread the mix together, with two tracks from Broadcast bookending a first half that includes late-'60s dreamers The Wonder Who? and Joe Pass, father of Ethio-jazz Mulatu Astatke, harpist Dorothy Ashby and the 21st-century beats of Gold Panda." - LateNightTales

TIA BLAKE AND HER FOLK GROUP - Folksongs & Ballads

After a spell of dormancy, Water is back with this gem of a reissue, one that's right up there with other such past finds from this label as Ruthann Friedman's Constant Companion, Anne Briggs' self-titled set, and the songs of Judee Sill.

"A very rare and sought-after record, released only in France in 1971 and never before available on CD. A stunning selection of songs performed in a stripped-down setting, with Tia's achingly beautiful vocals taking center stage. A truly wonderful album, reissued here on CD with new notes from Tia herself, along with vintage photos, and bonus tracks taken from rehearsals and a scrapped CBC session that features the only known recordings of Tia's original songs." - Runt

HEAVEN & EARTH - Refuge

Another fine female-fronted, harmony-rich '70s folk reissue to perhaps check out alongside that Roches record mentioned a few entries below...

"We’re happy to finally be able to announce the re-release of this psychedelic folk/funk beauty from 1973, featuring the gorgeous voices of Pat Gefell and Jo D. Andrews (and produced by Space Age percussionist/composer Dick Schory for his short-lived but influential Ovation Records imprint). At one time this was an album completely unknown outside of Chicago, where the label was based, but these days, word gets around, and tracks like 'Feel The Spirit; and 'Jenny' have been making the rounds on the DJ circuit." - Light In The Attic

"Heaven & Earth provide the most wonderful harmonizing since, I dunno, Wendy & Bonnie? There are light psychedelic swirls throughout, and the occasional folk-funk flourish (the legendary Phil Upchurch plays on here) makes the trip even more magical." - Other Music

MAGGIE & TERRE ROCHE - Seductive Reasoning

It was sometime last year when Ernest turned me on to The Roches' self-titled debut album, a quirky collection of songs propelled by the kind of gorgeous three-part harmonies that only sisters can pull off. So when this reissue of Seductive Reasoning came into the shop last month, I knew it would be worth a listen. Though it does not feature younger sis Suzzy Roche, this earlier album (recorded four years before The Roches) still shines brightly. In fact, it's actually become my preferred album of the two that I've heard. Though it has its corny moments, they are far outweighed by the truly unique songwriting. There are so many moments on this album that make me stop dead in my tracks. Just get it already!

"Seductive Reasoning was released by Maggie and Terre Roche four years before younger sister Suzzy joined them on their 'debut' record. Now, with most of the classic records by the three Roches out of print, this least well-known item in their discography is given a new lease on life." - Blurt

"[Maggie] Roche has the perspective of a young woman thoughtfully, if confusedly, making her way through the romantic, sexual, and career thickets of early adulthood. Her gift for wordplay expresses her uncertainties well. 'There ought to be something to fall back on,' she writes in "Down the Dream," 'like a knife or a career.'" - Allmusic

THE CARAVELLES - You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry

This quite comprehensive RPM collection compiles everything you need to hear from eerily innocent vocal duo The Caravelles (who clearly took a page from their pre-teen predecessors Patience and Prudence), with the added bonus of their (slightly) more folk-rockin' late-'60s material.

"Lois Wilkinson (later professionally known as Lois Lane) and Andrea Simpson got together to record a few demos in 1963. A re-cut of 'You Don't Have To Be Baby To Cry' made by Ritz Productions impresario Bunny Lewis was leased to Decca—a No. 6 UK & No. 3 US smash hit resulted, and a pop career was born. Included here are their one LP, also released in 1963, plus their subsequent eight singles and one EP leased to different labels up to 1968, all properly reissued for the first time." - Cherry Red

MICHAEL KIWANUKA - Home Again

OK, so I've had a pretty crazy week. Lots to do. Plenty of things to get stressed about. So much on the plate. It's times like this that people tend to turn to some time-honoured ritual to provide some measure of sanity as their world goes bonkers all around them.

For me, this ritual is (wait for it...) listening to some favourite records. Dylan. The Walkmen. Stevie Wonder. Dirty Three. That sort of thing. But before I could reach for any one of my usual suspects, I found myself unexpectedly overwhelmed by someone of whom I'd never heard and had zero expectations—this man and his masterful debut album, Home Again.

Like its title suggests, it's an album that is humble and grounded. But while this comforting, genial exterior is a fair representation of the album's manner, it is deeply misleading in terms of its rarer qualities. This is an album that reaches for the same heights of spiritually resonant folk R&B that greats like Bill Withers and Van Morrison (and few others) have scaled—and it very nearly pulls it off.

I only really say "nearly" to avoid having this sound like too much empty critic hyperbole. I suppose I could see how someone could put on Home Again and say, "Meh...just another laidback, retro-y R&B platter..." But for me, this is definitely the first great record I've heard this year. I've spent several entire days listening to nothing else, and I'm not approaching being tired of it.

So thanks, Mr. Kiwanuka. You've definitely helped stave off another mental breakdown for this writer. The least I can do in return is spread the word.

ERIC CHENAUX - Guitar & Voice

Eric's first truly solo record for Constellation alternates between woozily interwoven nylon-string/fuzz/wah songbook balladeering and equally-affecting hardanger-style bowed instrumentals, making for maybe his best set yet.

"In between vocal lines, an acoustic guitar weaves a cussed path, snarling through a wah-wah pedal...An interesting example of a performer getting more experimental and simultaneously more studio-savvy, Chenaux has produced his best work yet." - The Wire

"After five LPs and a decade of working with acts like Sandro Perri, Ryan Driver, Drumheller and Michelle McAdorey, he has made Guitar & Voice, which is just that, just those perfect things, guitar and voice—coaxed & shattered & sublimated & splintered & mirrored & burned to ash...This is unquestionably one of the best albums of 2012." - Said The Gramophone