Kevin Bryan delivers his verdict on some of this week's alternative CD releases.

Shirley Collins & The Albion Country Band, "No Roses" (Talking Elephant)- This hugely impressive offering was hailed as one of the crowning glories of the folk-rock movement when it first saw the light of day in 1971, and this newly remastered re-issue demonstrates that the contents have lost little of their majestic impact with the passage of time. Shirley's sterling vocal contributions were aided and abetted by luminaries such as Richard Thompson, Nic Jones, Barry Dransfield and assorted members of Fairport Convention as they provided the sensitive musical backdrop for enchanting ditties such as "The Murder of Maria Marten," "Van Dieman's Land" and "Just As The Tide Was A Flowing."

Status Quo, "Keep 'Em Coming - The Collection" (Music Club Deluxe)- This easy on the ear 2 CD anthology focusses attention on Status Quo's recorded output between 1988 and the present day, including several crowd-pleasing live tracks and a selection of the sometimes surprising cover versions which dominated their albums twenty years or so ago. Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," Dave Edmunds' " I Knew The Bride" and Bob Seger's "Get Out of Denver" were all given the distinctive Quo treatment during this period , and Francis Rossi and company also made the distinctly dubious decision to tackle Steeleye Span's folksy singalong "All Around My Hat," complete with a guest appearance from original vocalist Maddy Prior .

Renaissance Illusion, "Through The Fire" (Angel Air)- Former Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty assembled the first incarnation of Renaissance in 1969 with the avowed intention of exploring an innovative blend of rock, folk and classical influences. This early version of the band didn't enjoy too much in the way of commercial success and they finally gave up the ghost a year or so later, although the surviving members of the original Renaissance line-up did reconvene three decades later to record a splendid new album in the shape of "Through The Fire." As an exercise in melodic soft-rock this tastefully constructed package was well nigh faultless, with "One More Turn of the Wheel" and "Mystery of Being" emerging as two of the stand-out tracks.

British Sea Power, "Let The Dancers Inherit The Party" ( Golden Chariot / Caroline International)- This Brighton band's deliciously expansive brand of indie rock has been variously compared to everyone from the Cure and Joy Division to Arcade Fire, and the eagerly anticipated successor to 2013's critically acclaimed "Machineries of Joy" is a crowd-funded gem of the highest order. BSP have responded to the present parlous state of international affairs with an album which reflects their well founded suspicion that the world is going to hell in a handcart, although this uncomfortable lyrical message is couched within some of the most uplifting modernist rock that you could ever wish to hear.