Music reviews

Kaiser Chiefs,"Duck" (Polydor)- The departure of original drummer and creative mainstay Nick Hodgson in 2012 could easily have signalled the beginning of the end for this fine Leeds band but to their eternal credit they've soldiered on regardless and "Duck" boasts the usual quota of bona fide Kaiser Chiefs gems, although it would be unrealistic to expect them to spring too many surprises on the unwary listener at this advanced stage of their career. Quirkily memorable indie rock is very much the order of the day as the ebullient Ricky Wilson and his cohorts serve up stand-out tracks such as "Northern Holiday," "Target Market" and "People Know How To Love One Another" for your listening pleasure.

"The Easy Way" (Universal Music On Demand)-The compilers of this relatively undemanding 3CD set could be accused of playing fairly fast and loose with their definition of what actually constitutes "easy listening music, "as the sixty tracks on offer here include contributions from such unlikely bedfellows as The Velvet Underground, Fairport Convention and the late "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin. The finished product is much more appealing as a result however , and MOR music lovers are also well catered for with the inclusion of timeless gems from the illustrious back catalogues of performers such as Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and the great Louis Armstrong, who chips in with the inevitable "What A Wonderful World."

Martin Simpson,"Rooted" (Topic Records)- The release of a new Martin Simpson album always represents a significant event in the U.K. folk calendar and "Rooted" is thankfully no exception to the rule , finding this musical master craftsman working with a glittering array of like-minded luminaries including Nancy Kerr, Richard Hawley and long term collaborator Andy Cutting. If I come across a more compelling roots music package this year I shall be pleasantly surprised. as Martin displays his peerless instrumental artistry on beguiling ballads such as "Joe Bowers," "Queen Jane" and the majestic "Who's Going To Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?"

Charlie Grey and Joseph Peach,"Air Iomall" (Braw Sailin' Records)- The contents of this richly evocative package from Scottish folk musicians Charlie Grey and Joseph Peach were inspired by a journey that the intrepid duo made to several now uninhabited islands in the North Atlantic on board the Dutch tall ship Wylde Swan. The voyage obviously made a profound impact on the two men as they visited locations such as St.Kilda, the most remote part of the UK, where they gave a memorable live performance which is captured in its entirety here as the finale of an excellent set.