BETH ORTON - Sugaring Season

HAVING ditched the folktronica tag on her previous album, Beth Orton continues to purify her sound on Sugaring Season.

The focus is very much on nature - both lyrically and musically, with fiddles and acoustic guitars dominating the sound.

It is a thoughtful and beautiful record, with Call Me The Breeze, co-written with Chemical Brother Tom Rowlands, the stand-out track.

MATT CARDLE - The Fire

PROBABLY the most likeable and seemingly genuine of all of The X Factor winners, Matt Cardle is certainly aiming for the top with his second album.

No matter what your opinion may be of the programme, there’s no denying that Cardle can sing and arguably he deserved a shot at the big time.

Whether he’s delivered here is up for debate, but tracks such as For Every Heartbreak have a lot of energy and bite, while the range of his voice on his version of First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is particularly impressive.

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - Epicloud

THIS is the fifteenth - FIFTEENTH!! - album by Devin Townsend and I have to admit I’ve never heard of him!

Think of a cross between permed rockers Europe, the growl of Metallica and the melodrama of Muse and you’d be somewhere near the sound of this band.

It’s safe to say that fans of those aforementioned bands will absolutely love this over-the-top madness.