“Time rolls on” Yusuf Islam philosophises gently on opening track ‘Welcome Home’…But what kind of welcome can the previously-reclusive ‘Bitterblue’ inspirator expect in 2009? The road has been a slow-evolving one for Islam (aka sixties troubadour Cat Stevens), and time has indeed rolled on ... read more

The simmering excitement of early/mid 2008 at the fact there was a brilliant new band building momentum in Seattle exploded in June when they released their eponymous debut, a record with such depth of songwriting and such sonic expertise as to render it genuinely unbelievable that singer and ... read more

On the face of it, taking seven years to record and bring to release a largely acoustic-based folk/blues album seems rather a long time, but in the case of Ash Wednesday the extended gestation has lent a sense of profundity. On occasion, it is a difficult and at times bleak experience – these ... read more