Folk music has never had the greatest of images, by comparison to rock, pop, soul, hip-hop etc, it has always been perceived as a decidedly uncool genre of music. But, British folk music's brightest young star Kate Rusby might just help achieve the hitherto impossible and make folk sexy and appealing to a much wider audience.

Not only does Yorkshire-born Rusby have the looks, she is also incredibly easy on the ears, blessed as she is with a stunning and immensely expressive voice. Now in her mid-twenties, Rusby is no newcomer to the folk scene as she has been delighting audiences with her beguiling and thoroughly engaging songs and music since she was fourteen.

With the release of her latest album, Girl Who Couldn't Fly' (Pure), and with a little bit of luck, Rusby might just cease to be regarded as one of music's best kept secrets' and could become a household name.

Up to this juncture in her career, Rusby has been largely contented to cover others' songs and traditional material but on Girl Who Couldn't Fly', she is emerging as a quality songwriter in her right as tracks such as The Lark', Fare Thee Well' and Elfin Knight' confirm. So suspend those preconceptions you may have harboured about folk and let Kate Rusby surprise you, no one is asking you to don heavily knitted sweaters, grow a beard (chaps) or drink real ale, just try and dig the music.

There are few, if any, artists around that are more prolific with respect to the frequency with which they release new albums, than Ryan Adams.

However, whilst being prolific is highly commendable on many levels, it can have a down side to it in as much as such artists are not always the best when it comes to exercising quality control over their own material. Ryan Adams though, alt-country's wild boy, just keeps on delivering the goods' no matter how many albums he puts out. Jacksonville City Lights' (Lost Highway) is the second of an unprecedented three albums Adams is scheduled to release in 2005. Back in May he released Cold Roses', a fabulous record that was heralded by many fans and critics alike as his finest work as a solo artist (Adams previously fronted the group Whiskeytown) and now Jacksonville City Nights' keeps standards exceedingly high.

It's much more of a traditional sounding country rock album than Cold Roses' that had a harder edge to it, a la The Greatful Dead. Jacksonville City Lights' is a record full of songs that tell simple stories and feature sweet melodies with uncomplicated arrangements that show off the real quality of Adams' vocals. One track in particular stands proud of the pack and that is a stunning, lilting duet with Norah Jones. If Adams is to stick to his promise of three albums this year then we can probably expect his next effort in only a matter of weeks.

Compilation albums dominate the record shop shelves these days, where they used to be geared to a Christmas run-in release, they are now an all year round permanent fixture but buyer beware as the quality of them can vary quite dramatically. Some are compiled with great loving care, others appear to have been thrown together by a record executive during a five-minute coffee break. Three new ones though are definitely worthy of mention and do justice to the genre. First up is Acoustic Love' (WSM) that features thirty-eight tracks from some of the best singer/songwriters around (James Blunt, David Gray, Damien Rice, Jack Johnson & Joseph Arthur) as well as a number of rock bands showing their more gentle side such as Muse (Unintended), R.E.M (Nightswimming), Maroon 5(She Will Be Loved) and Extreme (More Than Words).

Drivetime' (WSM/UMTV) is a perfect album for those who spend much of their time burning up the highway or more likely, stuck in traffic on the M60 or M6. It is a 3CD collection of the very best tunes for fans of foot tapping, head nodding music to drive along to and incorporates a wealth of today's biggest artists from The Killers, Snow Patrol, Oasis and Hard-Fi plus a fine selection of classics from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, Foreigner and Elton John. And after that stressful time behind the wheel, you can relax to the sounds of fifty timeless tunes from the world's greatest crooners, as featured on the new 3CD set Romance' (WSM/Sony). It's one classic standard after another here as Roy Orbison follows Elvis, Bing follows Frank and Dean (Martin) follows Tony (Bennett). You also get Dusty, Andy Williams, Mel Torme, Scott Walker, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong and many more for your money and if this does not put you in the mood for love, then check that you haven't got a rock where your heart should be.