The solemnity and sadness of Lisa O’Neill’s song is matched to a mournful melody that reminds me of a hymn – or a Christmas carol.

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There was much more to Chris Rea than the hit singles – a multi-talented artist whose first loves were the blues, racing cars, cinema and journalism.

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It was when The Clash invited Joe Ely to join them on tour in 1980 that I began to understand the parallels between punk and rebel country music.

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Here’s UK dubmeister Dennis Bovell making a cameo appearance on fellow dub maestro Elijah Minnelli’s new album, the interestingly titled Clams As A Main Meal.

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Los Pirañas are a Colombian trio who inject traditional Latin American rhythms with elements of psychedelia, afrobeat and rock to spectacular effect.

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This is The Stranglers song Golden Brown as you’ve never heard it before – transformed into a slice of smooth jazz. And it’s wonderful.

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It’s not often you hear people describe a guitarist who doesn’t generally do solos as one of the all-time greats. But countless other guitar greats gave that accolade to Steve Cropper.

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This may not be the best tune I’ve ever posted but it’s as important as any, with a powerfully poignant video to match. Just click on the link above to watch it.

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Alabama Shakes return after almost a decade on hiatus with Another Life, a comeback single that shows they’ve lost none of their garage-soul fire.

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November’s playlist finds autumnal songs slowly turning to winter sounds, saying hello with one of the greatest tunes of all time by Squeeze and waving goodbye with Soft Cell. (more…)