Kevin Bryan delivers his verdict on some recent CD releases Gryphon,"Get Out Of My Father's Car!" (Talking Elephant)-The original incarnation of Gryphon emerged on the scene in the early seventies , delighting audiences with their unique blend of folk,rock,medieval and Renaissance music for a few years before finally giving up the ghost in 1977. Three of Gryphon's founder members are now striving manfully once again to keep the group's name alive,and Brian Gulland,Graeme Taylor and Dave Oberle and their recently recruited cohorts now unveil "Get Out Of My Father's Car!" for your listening pleasure. The contents capture the legendary musical adventurers in typically fine fettle, with demon fiddler Clare Taylor excelling on "Christina's Song" and "A Stranger Kiss" and the entire ensemble harking back to former glories with the delightfully archaic "Krum Dancing."

"An Hour with Cecil Sharp & Ashley Hutchings" (Talking Elephant)- This endlessly fascinating offering was the brainchild of former Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and Albion Band stalwart Ashley Hutchings, who hit upon the bright idea of assembling a tribute to the life of pioneering folk song collector Cecil Sharp which he toured as a one-man show during much of the eighties and nineties.The CD version boasts guest appearances from fellow folk luminaries Martin Carthy and Richard Thompson alongside spoken word passages and ancient cylinder recordings of assorted rustic performers made by Sharp and fellow folk song enthusiast Ralph Vaughan Williams during the very early years of the twentieth century.

Justin Wells,"The United State" (Singular Recordings)- There can't be too many practitioners of Americana who can happily cite Pink Floyd and Guns'n'Roses as major musical influences, but this was the aural landscape which fired Justin Wells' imagination during his formative years in Kentucky. Wells went on to record four albums with alt.country/Southern rockers Fifth on the Floor before striking out as a solo performer in 2016 with his critically acclaimed debut set,"Dawn in the Distance." The eagerly anticipated follow-up,"The United State" could be loosely categorised as a concept album as it maps out the human journey from cradle to grave via skilfully crafted gems such as "No Time For A Broken Heart," "The Screaming Song" and "The Bridge."