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IRMA THOMAS - Simply Grand

SHE may be in her 60s now but Irma Thomas remains one of the finest R&B singers ever to emerge from New Orleans, and this cleverly titled set finds her keeping it simple in the company of a dozen pianists ranging from Randy Newman to Dr John. Read

THIN LIZZY UK Tour ‘75 (MLP)

THIN Lizzy’s hallmark album is widely reckoned to be 1978’s Live And Dangerous, which caught the band at the peak of their powers. So why bother with another live set? Well, this album – recorded at Derby College three years earlier – offers a fascinating glimpse of Lynott & Co on the brink of greatness. Read

PETE GREENWOOD Sirens (Heavenly)

LOOSE Salute folkie Pete Greenwood was terrified when he enrolled in a songwriting class two years ago, then amazed when he came top of the class. Read

THE MAYBES? Promise (Xtra Mile)

THEY’RE hidden way down the bill of this weekend’s V Festival but expect Merseyside marvels The Maybes? to take centre-stage once their debut album starts picking up airplay next month. Read

KATY PERRY - One Of The Boys

IGNORE the demure 50s glamour shot on the cover – chart-topper Katy Perry is a Californian ladette peddling the latest resurrection of girl power with punky pop, shopping mall chic and sugary street sass. Read

DIONNE WARWICK - All The Love In The World

DON’T go buying this double-CD collection expecting all of those brilliant Bacharach-David composed 60s hits from Dionne Warwick. Read

MICHAEL BOLTON Touch You - The Very Best Of

GRAMMY winner Michael Bolton is one of America’s most successful ever balladeers, with more than 50 million albums sold worldwide. Love or hate his music, it’s hard to argue with statistics like that. Read

BOBBY DARIN - Commitment / Rare Darin (Edsel)

DODD Darin, Bobby Darin’s son from his marriage to actress Sandra Dee, was recently quoted as saying: “You better believe that my father was a man on a mission – he had not a moment to waste. Read

BILLY PAUL - The Best Of (Music Club)

PHILADELPHIA’S Billy Paul had half a dozen top 40 UK hits during the mid-70s. Only two of those recordings are on this 15-track collection – Gamble and Huff’s Only The Strong Survive and Let ’Em In (which is even worse than Paul McCartney and Wings’ version). Read

MOTORHEAD - Motorizer (SPV)

MOTORHEAD’S 24th album is “full of surprises” if you believe the record company blurb. And, yes, they’re right. It’s surprising that they’re still churning out tosh like this, and it’s even more surprising that people still buy it. Read

NEIL IVISON & THE MISERS The Long Walk Home (Ivison)

MIDLAND songwriter Neil Ivison is a singer cut from the same cloth as Paul Rodgers but his debut album isn’t a nostalgia trip, instead offering contemporary class and an energy that suggests barnstorming live gigs. Read

SHERYL CROW Live (Sound Stage)

SONGBIRD Sheryl Crow’s comeback from breast cancer continues with a live concert DVD reminding us why she became such a huge star back in the 90s. Recorded in high-definition for the Stateside Sound Stage series, she leads her band through a career catalogue containing highlight hits including All I Wanna Do, Everyday Is A Winding Road, If It Makes You Happy and My Favourite Mistake. Read

WILL TANG - Everything Changes (Zen)

HE’S the singer-songwriter whose schizophrenic setlist one minute recalls Ryan Adams and the next Robert Plant & Jimmy Page. And did I mention that he comes from Rochdale? Read

SCARS ON BROADWAY - Scars On Broadway (Interscope)

WHILE Serj Tankian carves out an unpredictable solo career, System Of A Down bandmates Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan play it safer with an out-and-out hard rock band, playing down their metal past in favour of more melodic adventure. Read

LITTLE JACKIE - The Stoop

WHEN you first hear the skewed soul vocal on the radio, your first thought is that Amy Winehouse has got her act together. Read

TONY JOE WHITE Deep Cuts (Swamp)

THE original swamp-rocker’s signature groove is dragged into the 21st century by his producer son Jody, adding electronic beats and loops, digital and live percussion, and fleshing out that Louisiana drawl. Read

REGURGITATOR Love And Paranoia (Valve)

THE Aussie electro-rockers who once recorded an album in a bubble for the reality TV cameras return with a set of addictive riffs that combine 80s synth-pop with 90s guitar rock. Read

CONOR OBERST Conor Oberst (Merge)

THE Bright Eyes frontman takes time out from the Barack Obama campaign trail to release a first solo set, backed by his Mystic Valley Band mates. Read

EVA CASSIDY - Somewhere (Blix Street)

C’MON admit it. Someone somewhere must be churning out new Eva Cassidy songs on the quiet. The Stateside songbird only released one album before her untimely death from cancer at the age of just 33. Read

LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III - Recovery (Yep Roc)

WHAT if you could go back in time and meet your younger self? Loudon Wainwright retraces his career, revisiting songs from his back catalogue and setting them in new musical surrounds. Read

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