More new music

I said I would return to some of the music released this year that I have enjoyed and hope they inspire you. Here are another five albums that I think are worth checking out.

First up is Adele and her album 21. I must confess that modern pop music rarely appears on my playlists but Adele's amazing voice is worth making an exception for. She has an incredible vocal range and her song writing is wonderful, if a times a little gloomy. She hasn't had much luck in love if her lyrics are anything to go by but she delivers every word with a conviction and emotion that the X-Factor contestants can only dream of. Top songs are "Rolling in The Deep"; "Rumor Has It"; "Set Fire To The Rain" and the wonderful "Someone Like You".

Admiral Fallow are a Scottish band and their debut album Boots Met My Face is packed full of cracking melodies and evocative lyrics.

In "Subbuteo", Louis Abbot takes a nostalgic trip home and writes "I've returned for a while, To the concrete that once claimed my knees, And the stones my hands owned, As I sent them toward windows and trees". The album is filled with the kind of imagery that really tells a story. 

Boots Met My Face is packed with great folk inspired songs but my favourites are "Squealing Pigs"; "These Barren Years" and the aforementioned "Subbuteo". 

Kasabian are back with another towering record, Velociraptor!  - the exclamation is theirs not mine.

Kasabian have always walked their own path and they continue to find new ways to entertain. This album is possibly a little less bombastic than their previous efforts but it still has great songs like the almost hypnotic rhythm of "Days Are Forgotten" and the gentle "Goodbye Kiss. There isn't anything to alienate fans in this album but it does continue their evolution into one of the best bands around at the moment.

Now for a change of pace. Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars is a stripped back country-folk album originating from the home of country music, Nashville.

Joy Williams and John Paul White combine their voices perfectly against a background of simple arrangements. Among the stand out tracks are "20 Years"; "I've Got This Friend" and the title track.

If you enjoyed Robert Plant's collaboration with Alison Krauss then you will love this.

Finally I offer you the foot-stomping, drum-battering, guitar-shredding blues-rock of Vintage Trouble's, The Bomb Shelter Sessions. From the first track "Blues Hand Me Down" you are in no doubt that the guys are tipping their hats to the blues legends of the past like Albert King. Ty Taylor's soulful voice is underpinned by the guitar of Nalle Colt, whose playing will raise a smile among the old blues masters.  As well as the opener there is much to love about this album including "Nancy Lee"; "You Better Believe It" and Total Strangers."

That's all for this blog, as usual I would love to hear about anything exciting you've discovered.