Dido, Thea Gilmore, Natalie Maines and Eliza Gilkyson

The new album from Dido Girl Who Got Away is not really music to my ears. Her choice of electro pop backing is a strange experiment, and not one that I find comfortable. Her songs are still have the lovely familiar melodies we have become used to, and there are a couple of stand out tracks. "love to blame" and "happy new year" actually suit the instrumental accompaniment. But so they would something a lot smoother.

You only have to look at the list of instrumentalists (nineteen in all) to know that Thea Gilmore's new album Regardless is another departure. And this time for the better. Her great new songs, ("This Road" is a belter) and her voice, fit the bigger band so well, so that is fast becoming my favourite of all the dozen CD's in my collection. A critic complained that the strings "suck at it's liveliness". I have to disagree. They are what we have been waiting for. Motherhood certainly suits her.

When two of the Dixie Chicks went out on their own and recorded their self titled album in 2010, I guess it was only a matter of time before their ex lead singer Natalie Maines brought out her own. With Mother, here it is. After a couple of listenings I am disappointingly underwhelmed. An album of many covers somehow does not pack the power of the old group. And this is certainly not country music, more the old rock ballads that are pretty antiseptic. What is best about the CD is her voice, classy as always. We have to wait until the final track for the one song which almost makes it all worth while. A brand new composition, "Take It On Faith" has little reminders of The Dixies, just until that horrible rock guitar starts up.

I would never have found Eliza Gilkyson if it were not for the BBC drama series "Case Histories". It's central character, Jackson Brodie likes female country/folk music, and Eliza is right up there with the best. Of all her albums I went for Paradise Hotel and I thought to start I was listening to Nanci Griffith, light yodel and all. "Calm before the Storm" and "When you walk on" featured on the film soundtrack, but I prefer the corny first track "Borderline". A mighty fine album.