Round-up: Laura brings sunshine soul

Andy Richardson rounds up the week's music news.

Soul

Soul singer Laura Izibor (see review) hopes the classic soul and sunshine pop of her debut album will win many followers. She said: "I've written this album because it's my truth. It's a sincere record and it has a feel of survival in it as well. I don't want to be anyone's protege. It's very tempting to put in the reinforcements, but for my debut album I wanted it to be 100% me."

Indie

Northampton is best known for its cobblers. But that could soon change thanks to thrusting indie types The All New Adventures Of Us. Their debut single is released on March 23 through One Little Indian and is called St Crispin's Got Out Backs. The band major in epic, emotionally-intense songs and more details are available at www.myspace.com/tanaoumusic

Acoustic

Among Teitur's fans are KT Tunstall. His debut album, The Singer, was released on February 16, following the successful release earlier in the month of the single Catherine The Witness. Teitur said: "Music is one of our main social activities. There are always instruments in our homes. I started my own music at 13."

Rock

The Bronx head out on tour through February and March to promote their newly-released album The Bronx III. The band recorded the record Dave Schiffman, who has worked previously with Mars Volta, System Of A Down and Rage Against the Machine, among others. They'll call at the West Midlands for a gig at Birmingham's Academy on March 6.

Punk

The Strokes' bassist Nikolai Fraiture has delved into his old shoebox of poems and rants to pen songs for a debut album called The Time Of The Assasins. His band, unimaginatively called Nickel Eye, welcomed guest appearances from Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Regina Spektor, completing their album in the space of a few months in New York City. It was inspired by Nikolai's heroes, such as Neil Young, Frank Black, Leonard Cohen and The Kinks.

Rock

The Answer were tapped up by AC/DC to support them on their forthcoming stadium tour, which includes a date at Birmingham's LG Arena on April 23.

The band, whose singer sounds like Paul Rogers and whose guitarist plays like Jimmy Page, release a debut album Everyday Demons on March 2.

Acoustic

I Think We Both Know is the title of a new album recorded by Aussie singer/songwriter Kris Morris and due for release on April 13. It follows the release of his debut EP Little Light, which was released in early 2007.

The album was recorded at Rush House, a Victorian hunting lodge in rural England, and the result is a collection of songs that are soft, intimate, raw, honest and epic.

Gold

Fans of classic rock and punk will be enthralled by the new soundtrack to Faintheart. The recording, available on EMI, features Saxon, Tenpole Tudor, Mike Batt and The Proclaimers, among others. It's a must for fans of Dad Rock.

Easy Listening

With a tracklisting that includes Groove Armada, Lesley Garrett and Opera Angels, Wellbeing is a CD that will tick all the right boxes for people who just want to relax. The three cd collection features 70 of the most calming and relaxing tracks ever made with contributions also coming from L'Orchestre Cinematique, City of Prague Orchestra and Mendelssohn. All together now, breathe deeply.....

New Bands

Already dubbed one of NME's top ten hopes for 2009, General Fiasco have been creating quite a buzz. The band was formed by the Strathern brothers, singer and bassist Owen, 20, and guitarist Enda, 19, along with their friend, Stephen Leacock, 19, who they met at school in Magherafelt, in South Derry, northern Ireland. The band have already supported The Wombats, One Night Only, The Pigeon Detectives and The Enemy as well as playing at the Oxegen, Belsonic and Reading/Leeds. They'll play Birmingham's Academy on February 26 and release a new single Something Sometime on March 9.

Jazz

Jazz maestro Dave O'Higgins will release his second album on the Jazzizit label, Sketchbook, in April. The record was inspired by Dave's appreciation for the likes of 50s legends Sonny Rollins, Steve Grossman and Cedar Walton. Dave is a two-time British Jazz Awards recipient for the Best Tenor Sax Player.

Rock

Multi-award winning producer Rob Cavallo was at the controls for Shinedown when they recorded their stunning debut album, The Sound of Madness. It's released on Atlantic Records on March 2. The band won over audiences while supporting Disturbed late last year with their hard-edged rock'n'roll.

Roots

Country music's Diana Jones is being increasingly compared to the likes of Iris DeMent and Gillian Welch. And with good reason. This American singer/songwriter is a cut above the rest, with a charming, easy style and an utterly original style of playing. Her new album, Better Times Will Come, is released on Proper Records on February 23. The songs are rooted in her own experience. All God's Children, for instance, tells the tale of an 18-year-old in a friendless world following a lifetime of foster homes.

Diana said: "I was adopted and I grew up wondering where I came from. I studied American history in college and when I read about these kids who had been displaced from their families it resonated with me. Every song I've ever written, even if it's about someone else, has a lot of me in it or else I can't sing it."

* Send details of your music news, gig dates and new recordings to arichardson@shropshirestar.co.uk