Back catalogue: Folk/Americana

Review: Anoushka Shankar is of course daughter of the acclaimed sitar player Ravi who was brought to global prominence through his association with The Beatles. Anoushka is just as revered in her own right and the sitar player, producer and composer is now back with a new mini-album in the form of her Forever For Now EP. It is the first of three releases which will come between tours and form an ever evolving story. Ti sone features featuring guest appearances by Nils Frahm on piano, glass harmonica, harmonium and slit drum as well as Gal Maestro on bass and Magda Giannikou on accordion.

Review: He might be a wise old rock and roll figurehead now just as well known for being a famous friend of former Present Barrack Obama (if you haven't already, check out the pair's podcast, it is well worth hearing) but the age-defying voice behind enduring anthem 'Born in the USA' still knows how to have a little fun. And it comes in the form of this special bit of white festive wax (a picture disc version is also available on Juno) featuring his take on two Christmas classics. 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' and 'Because The Night' both get gravelly, epic makeovers that will warm your heart on a cold winter's eve.

Review: It seems that Record Store Day 2022 isn't done yet as we get this limited 12" just for the occasion from Sun's Signature. It is an EP of five tracks by vocalist Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins and percussionist Damon Reece who has worked with Spiritualized, Massive Attack and Lupine Howl. The music is an experimental fusion of folk, synth and downtempo and is a fine offering for a debut release. After so long in the works it's a delight to finally have a finished product from this forward looking pair.

Review: Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento and American saxophonist Sam Gendel join forces for The Room: ten tracks of broken jazzdance instrumentals conjoined by an almost telepathic synergy between artists. Springboarding from an initial collaborative gig at a restaurant owned by Gendel's cousin, the duo was thus born as a before-you-know-it gestalt; and in so coming together as a studio project, the artists realised their mutually jazz-laden upbringings, discovering even that both saxophonists had first picked up the brass at exactly the same age; both shared a fascination with environmentalism and ecology; both were superfans of experimental musician Hermeto Pascoal; et cetera. A serendipitous match, then, the album is synchronous to match, balancing five tracks per side in a sublime homeo-ecstatic equilibrium. Recorded in two days in a basement studio in Pacific Palisades, each track its own dive into the rhythms and regions of a South America without borders.

Review: .While Brazilian guitarist Fabiano Do Nascimento and American saxophonist Sam Gendel first met and played together at the dawn of the last decade - at a Los Angeles cafe both used to frequent, fact fans - it was only last year that they decided to collaborate on a release. The Room, the resultant album, was reportedly recorded in two days in a studio in the Californian countryside. It's an undeniably magical and sun-soaked affair, with Gendel teasing fluttering, flute-esque improvisations from his soprano saxophone while Do Nascimento delivers impeccable, finger-picking meditations on his seven-string acoustic guitar. The latter is undoubtedly a virtuoso with his own distinct style - a Brazilian take on classical guitar, incorporating nods to lesser-known regional music - but instinctively knows when to step back and allow Gendel the limelight. Impressive stuff all told.

Review: Violinist Nils Okland and keyboardist Sigbjorn Apeland have been working togeter on music for 30 years. Their work often explores a place where Norwegian traditional music and improvisation meet and this new album is another exceptional one full of touching and tender moods. Glimmer builds on the folk music traditions of the Haugalandet region of Western Norway and is built around original compositions that range from those written for a film about great Norwegian landscape painter Lars Hertevig, to pieces inspired by modernist composer Fartein Valen. The two musicians find great harmony throughout to ensure this is another moving work from the old friends.

Review: "No-one knew the songs or what the plan was. We kept it loose and fun. This was the spirit of the sessions. No headphones, no playback, minimal overdubs, or bleed. Fast and loose," says Sam Evian of his latest record, the first to grace his new imprint, Thirty Tigers. If that's not enough to make you balk with jealously at not being invited, then the idea of Big Thief's Adrian Lenker and Sufjan Stevens, among others, debasing to Evian's house in the Catskills to examine a revamped studio, complete with vintage tape deck and console, then going wild swimming at midnight, just as snow fell, might seal the deal. The following day, work began on Plunge, a record with no real fixed direction or plan. In the end, it will - or, at least, it should - be remembered among Evian's finest offerings. A stunning collection of folk-leaning rock 'n' roll, Americana and jangly indie, you can almost smell upstate New York.

Review: Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's monumental 1968 duet album gets a definitive reissue via Light In The Attic, harkening back to a time when the crossover between Americana, pop and country worked in a much simpler style. Now once again coming back to stereo, they show off a powerful duetting synergy through classic bits like 'Lady Bird', 'Sundown, Sundown' and 'Elusive Dreams'. This one also contains a new gatefold jacket, and comes with an array of exclusive content, including a brand new interview.

Review: Slovenian "imaginary folk" trio SIROM are back with their most expansive and adventurous album yet. Their fourth full length to date, The Liquified Throne Of Simplicity is a fantastic double 12" trip that has no known borders as it explores a spiritual range of jazzy, ambient and worldwide sounds. There is a mystic, physic energy to these long, drawn out pieces, often layered up with trance-inducing drones and string lines of ever evolving percussion next to flute sounds, wind instruments and plenty of strings. It is utterly intoxicating and esoteric and takes you deep into an ancient world of sound and rhythm.

Review: Belarus collective Soyuz grace Mr Bongo with their third album, building on a formidable background in lush orchestral jazz to deliver an album of astonishing beauty. Their music draws on 70s Brazilian MPB as a major source of inspiration, but everything has a twist which feels unique to composer and arranger Alex Chumak's location in modern day Belarus. As a result, the album sounds comfortingly familiar but strangely new in the same breath, and oh so very easy on the ears. The sound is light and airy, with space to soar through liberal reverb, while the rhythm section gently buffets rather than slamming. You won't hear another record as sweet and sincere as this all year, we promise.

Review: Although he's not made much of an impact this side of the Atlantic, Chris Stapleton is massive news in the United States. Higher, his first studio album for three years, is therefore hotly anticipated back home. Whether you're already a fan or not, the album is well worth a listen - not least because Stapleton's distinctive style (which leans heavily on the richness of his Joe Cocker-esque voice) draws as much on Southern Soul, blue-eyed soul and Americana, as folk, bluegrass and traditional country. When he gets it right - which he does on 'Higher' - the resultant music is magical. For proof, see the bluesy soul simmer of 'Think I'm In Love With You', the slow-motion love jam 'It Takes a Woman', and the frazzled, lighters-up country-rock anthem that is 'White Horse'.

Review: Sufjan Stevens is nothing short of an enigma. Capable of shapeshifting in almost unfathomable ways, he's the sort of artist that can release a spellbinding and technically astounding collection of piano duets, written to score a ballet, but give tracks names like 'And I Shall Come To You Like A Stormtrooper In Drag Serving Imperial Realness'. High brow while totally accessible, his back catalogue to date is one for which you'd struggle to find anyone who doesn't appreciate, once they've taken the time to listen. Here we are then, mere months after the aforementioned song and its parent album landed, getting to grips with another very different beast. Javelin certainly shares in the beauty that ran through its predecessor - Reflections - but whereas the last LP was relatively minimalist, here things are often the opposite. Big, rousing, 1960s-70s style pop numbers, soulful journeyman acoustic with backing chorus, theatrical soft rock and plenty more besides.