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

Loudon Wainwright III, "Years in the Making" (StorySound Records)- Loudon Wainwright's sardonic musings on modern life and the vagaries of the human condition have been delighting his devoted band of followers ever since the great man's stunning debut album first saw the light of day in 1970, and the latest addition to his illustrious back catalogue is a fascinating two disc set which draws on a grand total of 42 rare and unissued recordings from the Wainwright archives. Sound quality is the lowest of low fi at times , but this collection of unused album tracks, demos and live recordings is well worth two hours or so of anyone's time nonetheless.

Asleep at the Wheel, "New Routes" (Thirty Tigers)-The various incarnations of Asleep at the Wheel have been plying their trade for almost half a century now , blending country, jazz,rockabilly and western swing elements in near perfect proportions. Leader and founder member Ray Benson has remained at the helm throughout this eclectic outfit's existence as more than one hundred musicians have passed through their ranks and "New Routes" mines a particularly rich vein of peerless Americana, serving up some fine new original material alongside covers of classic creations such as Guy Clark's "Dublin Blues" and Johnny Cash's "Big River."

"Car Songs : The Anthems " (Demon Music)- This entertaining 4 CD set serves up another seemingly random assortment of bona fide hits and relative obscurities culled from Sony Music's capacious archives, including seventies gems such as Mott the Hoople's "All The Young Dudes," Patti Smith's "Because The Night" and The Only Ones' "Another Girl, Another Planet" to name but a few.

Don McLean, "Live in Manchester" (Wienerworld)- This splendid audio-visual package extends over two CDs and one DVD, regaling listeners and viewers with the entire set list of Don McLean's concert at Manchester's historic Free Trade Hall in October 1991. McLean's highly receptive audience were treated to a finely judged blend of hits and superior album tracks at this sold out jaunt down memory lane , including perennial crowd-pleasers such as "Vincent," "Castles in the Air" and his classic 1971 chart-topper , "American Pie."