On the record: Paul Simon's Beautiful release

By Polly Weeks, Press Association.

Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What, Now in his 70th year, Paul Simon remains one of the world's greatest singer-songwriters and the quality of his work shows no signs of diminishing with the advancing years. Still best known for his work with Art Garfunkel and 1986's outstanding solo album, Graceland, Simon's latest sees him bang back in form. His acoustic guitar playing is as adept as ever and his voice as pure as when he sang 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover all those years ago. Check out Getting Ready For Christmas Day, Dazzling Blue and Love And Hard Times for conclusive proof that Simon is still on top of his game.

A cracker.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Kim Mayo) Black Country Communion - 2 Just to confound the doomsayers of 'supergroups' that they can only produce one album before imploding, Black Country Communion have come up with a genuine and cohesive second one. The band have come up with another set of classic hard rock with a contemporary feel. Dominated, as one might expect, by Glenn Hughes's voice and Joe Bonamassa's guitar, out-and-out rockers such as the opener, The Outsider, shake the walls. However, on the more reflective stuff such as Little Secret there is a real emotional touch. There are echoes of other bands on the material; with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin appearing to influence the group. This doesn't detract any from the overall experience though, which is highly pleasurable.

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Steve Grantham) Emmy The Great - Virtue Hong Kong-born singer-songwriter Emmy The Great was rightly feted as one of the brightest stars of the British folk scene following 2009's excellent First Love. Here she abandons some of the honesty and acerbity which characterised her debut, and expands her sound away from the acoustic guitar. Fans of the first record - particularly of Emmy's over-enunciated word endings - will find enough to keep them happy on opener Dinosaur Sex, single Iris and Exit Night/Juliet's Theme. And, even if her ventures into new territory are largely less successful and feel a touch overproduced, there is no disguising the quality of the songwriting.

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Alistair Mason) The Brights - A Trivial Pursuit Some might say relentlessly upbeat indie-pop bands struggle to find a niche in the market, but as Toploader are having a comeback, this Essex four-piece clearly think now is their time. Laying their light-hearted nature out in both band and album name, it is no surprise that first track Footsteps leads a run of catchy yet frothy tunes, not completely insubstantial but determinedly radio-friendly in production and "relationship hiccups" subject matter. The vibrant frustration in A Cameo Can't Last Forever and tentative hope in the slower Pride Step Aside shows The Brights have potential for chart success, but the rest is pleasant yet forgettable, particularly the pointless closing reprise of Memories Of You.

Rating: 5/10 (Review by Natalie Bowen) Scarlette Fever - Medication Time This is a confident, well-crafted and catchy set of pop songs. When you consider that Medication Time is the debut album by Scarlette Fever then it becomes even more impressive. The first two singles, Crash And Burn and Black And White, are particularly strong - with their driving choruses and vocals delivered with feeling and enough edge to get your attention. Hour Of Sunshine has a slower, swaggering attitude, while Good Day is a ballad with an immediately familiar hook; one of those songs that you're sure you must have heard before. That's just the first four tracks. There's another 10 and they're all worth hearing.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Mike Fletcher) Das Contras - Das Contras Das Contras like to cover all bases, describing themselves as a Scottish folk-funk-jazz-punk-reggae-rock band. And while this is true, the unsigned seven-piece are overwhelmingly jazz, ultimately to their detriment as the saxophone and trumpet take over most tracks and cast a "lounge bar entertainment" vibe over their self-titled debut. Bouncy opener Reckless Phase melds lyrical quasi-heartbreak with subtle threats of rockabilly, while the reggae influences come through on Don't Plant A Seed, which sadly sounds like a UB40 imitation. Street Princess is a likeable indie track until the inevitable sax appears again and What's Left? somehow manages to sound like The Beautiful South (with guitar solos). Unfortunately, it's a strange mix which does not really work.

Rating: 4/10 (Review by Natalie Bowen) The Chapin Sisters - Two The second album from American duo Abigail and Lily Chapin runs the gamut from pure folk to electrified country-rock with fluency and confidence. The tracks are lilting and melodic, with unfussy production and minimalist arrangements that emphasise the sisters' soaring harmonies, demonstrated to bewitching effect on the a cappella opener Sweet Light. Elsewhere, tracks such as Palm Tree and Roses In Winter have a languid bar-room blues ambience, the crackling guitars providing an excellent counterpoint to sultry, enigmatic lyrics. It's a cool and contemporary record that should top the shopping list of any fans of Sheryl Crow or Nora Jones: highly recommended.

Rating: 7/10 (Review by James Robinson) Laki Mera - The Proximity Effect Glaswegian quartet Laki Mera have been compared to the likes of Cocteau Twins and Portishead among others and this debut album certainly suggests that, although their sound is eclectic enough to embrace electronica with more traditional instrumentation. Laura Donnelly's vocals are airy and fragile, in the same vein as Ellie Goulding or Bjork, enhancing atmospheric tracks such as Crater and Solstice. There is straightforward pop in songs More Than You and How Dare You, while instrumental Pollok Park is menacing and cinematic. In fact, throughout, the production is multi-layered and has the depth to suck the listener into Laki Mera's sonic world.

Rating: 6/10 (Review by Lisa Allen) Thomas Tantrum - Mad By Moonlight Thomas Tantrum already have a reputation as the indie bands' indie band, having played extensively as support for the likes of Glasvegas and Futureheads while numbering Lily Allen among their biggest fans. This second album, a long-awaited follow-up to their acclaimed 2008 debut, might secure them a mainstream following. It's packed with breezy guitar riffs and impossibly infectious hooks that display a marked debt to the bands of the early-1980s new wave. Tracks such as Hot Hot Summer, Betty Blue and single Sleep rank with the best music from that era.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by James Robinson) Inna - Hot Easy-on-the-eye Romanian pop star Inna has been a huge success in her home country and across Europe since 2008. She cracked the UK top 10 last year with Hot and the equally bouncy top 20 hits Amazing and Sun Is Up have followed. Eurodance isn't known for its lyrical depth and this definitely applies here. A lot of the tracks feature the plinky-plonky synth from Hot and makes for a repetitive album, even one track is called Deja Vu, which is quite brazen as that is very much the feeling the listener may get from this collection. This album is upbeat and inoffensive but people may be better off just downloading the singles.

Rating: 5/10 (Review by Lisa Allen)