Duane Eddy,"Shazam! The Essential Collection" ***

This deliciously dated 2 CD set focusses attention on  the collected works of Duane Eddy,the  instantly identifiable guitarist whose unique sound made a profound impact on a whole host of aspiring young rock performers during their formative years. New York born Eddy had  taken up the guitar when he moved to Arizona as a teenager,joining forces with producer Lee Hazlewood to  create a string of twangy,echo laden instrumentals  which became a permanent fixture in the singles charts during the late fifties and early sixties. "Peter Gunn," "Cannonball" and "Rebel Rouser" are the best of a raunchy bunch.

Out now (Music Club Deluxe MCDLX 183 : £5.56)

 

Ricky Ross, "Trouble Come Looking" ****

The Deacon Blue frontman wears his social conscience  proudly on his sleeve as he unveils a spare and uncluttered solo package which is rather   reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen's equally bleak and austere  " Nebraska."Echoes of the great Woody Guthrie are also conjured out of the ether  as  Ricky chronicles  the tragic tale  of the Chinese cockle-pickers on Morecambe Bay in "A Strange and Foreign Land"  before transforming Craig Smillie's "Sang O' The Saracen Maid" into one of the most affecting folk ballads that you'll be likely to hear in this or any other year.

Out now (Demon ROSSCD001 : £9.99)

Heath Common and the Thin Man, "Performance" ****

This engagingly eccentric  Yorkshire based duo  continue to channel the spirits of American Beat writers such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg as they  serve up their  uncompromising blend  of rootsy folk,rock and blues. The two men have  recorded and performed with everyone from Fat Boy Slim to Bill Nelson  during the course of their long and colourful careers,  and their steadfast  refusal to conform to the commercial demands  of the rock industry informs the  quirkily memorable "Zorba The Beat," "On The Road" and "The Gypsy and The Priest."

Out now (Platform 54 Records)

Bella Hardy, "Battleplan" ****

This impressive new album finds acoustic balladeer Bella Hardy giving a thorough  going over to several classic folk songs as she re-imagines them from a distinctively  female perspective. Bella's touring band The Midnight Watch supply the impeccable musical backdrop as she  breathes new life into "The Outlandish Knight," "Whisky You're The Devil" and "The Raggle Taggle Gypsies,"  and her own skills as a songwriter  are also well represented by   "Through Lonesome Woods" and the poignant "Maybe You Might."

Out now (Noe Records : £13.75)

Vladimir Feltsman, "Mussorgsky & Tchaikovsky" ****

The centrepiece of Vladimir Feltsman's impressive  new Nimbus recital  is the Russian American pianist's stunning  performance  of Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhbition." This darkly atmospheric  jaunt around an imaginary art gallery reached a whole new audience when it was given a typically overblown makeover  by prog-rock behemoths ELP during the early seventies. Feltsman's interpretation of this evocative musical suite is thankfully much more restrained ,and his   equally  fine renditions of  Tchaikovsky's "Album for the Young" and "Echo Rustique" set the seal on an excellent package.


Out now (Nimbus NI 6211 : £10.69)