Grada - Cloudy Day Navigation (Compass)

This is a very solid recording from a young Irish folk band that distinguishes itself with some interesting and unconventional arrangements. Vocalist Nicola Joyce is at times eerily evocative of Natalie Merchant, and pleasingly so. The repertoire is a balanced mixture of Grada composed instrumentals, traditional pieces and interpretations of well-chosen songs by Suzanne Vega and Susan McKeown. With a US label deal and Nashville production Grada are on a parallel track to The Duhks and would likely find enthusiasts in one another's camps. That having been said, the match up I'd most enjoy seeing is a Celtic smackdown between Grada and The McDades, or, perhaps more congenially, a nice long Bushmills fuelled session involving transatlantic musical cousins.

Rise & Doug - Tanzwa Nekutambura / We've Suffered Enough (RDKV Music)

Rise Kagona surely knows something about suffering. The Zimbabwean musician and founder of The Bhundu Boys endured the lose of four of his former band mates to AIDS or suicide and the disintegration of a band that – with the considerable promotional weight of John Peel and Andy Kershaw behind them – were pioneers of 'World Music', and played before massive festival audiences internationally at their peak in the 1980s. Happily Tanzwa Nekutambura represents a return and – one hopes – something more than a temporary reprieve for Kagona. Teamed up with the Bhundu Boys first UK champion Scotsman Doug Veitch, Kagona has a record and an agent is touring festivals once more. While the recording fails to "conjure the explosive extravaganza of African mellifluence" promised by the liner notes, and suffers from some less than stellar and unfortunately mixed percussion, it is lovely to hear Kagona's guitar work and vocals once more.

Bob Brozman Orchestra - Lumiere (Riverboat)

About ten years ago I went to see Elsinore, the one-man Hamlet conceived and directed by CSA approved theatre/media arts genius Robert Lepage. Despite abundant technical wizardry and the considerable talents of actor Peter Darling, the frenetic toing and froing, and flipping of personas left the lingering impression of bedroom farce rather than The Bard. Begging the question: A one man Hamlet…what's the point? In the Bob Brozman Orchestra, Bob plays with… well, himself. L'orchestre, c'est Bob. A polyglot of all things stringed, with an illustrious reputation as a collaborator, on this occasion Brozman uses the magic of the overdub to perform most of the many parts on Lumiere himself. Lest I suffer the slings and arrows of fellow resophonic konaheads like Steve Dawson and Doug Cox, I will say that Lumiere, is a considerably more coherent achievement than Elsinore. There are some lovely moments on the record – mostly where Brozman has exercised some constraint and limited himself to less than six instruments – and he really is convincing in a wide variety of roles/styles. However, I confess to having been too aware of the man behind the curtain to lose myself completely in the illusion.

Kenge Kenge - Introducing Kenge Kenge (World Music Network)

World Music Network's Introducing imprint is off to an impressive start. This is the label's seventh release and it's another keeper. Kenge Kenge is an eight piece ensemble from Kenya who have performed a bit of a reverse engineering job on Kenya's guitar-driven benga pop and re-emphasized benga's roots in the folk music of the Luo people. In particular they replace guitar with traditional acoustic instruments, such as the orutu (one-stringed fiddle) and nyangile (gong), at the centre of their sound. A bit rough and ready, and possessing a dedication to find a groove and stay in it, Kenge Kenge are finding favourable comparison with the DRC's Konono No. 1. What the hell, if it helps them find even a slice of the crossover success enjoyed by Konono I'm happy to encourage the association.

North Sea Radio Orchestra - North Sea Radio Orchestra (oof! Records)

I first heard last year the NSRO on Stuart Maconie's fabulous FreakZone (Sundays on BBC 6 Music). With no domestic release in sight, I broke down and ordered from amazon.co.uk. Been listening incessantly ever since. If you find acoustic chamber folk pop too fay and aery give this one a pass. However, if you have any affection for the vocal qualities of Kate Bush, the arrangements of Sufjan Stevens, or the delicacy of the Penguin Café Orchestra you need this record. The majority of the pieces are musical settings of British and Irish Romantic poets – Tennyson, Longfellow, Hardy, Yeats. Given the lyrical inspiration, there is an almost unavoidable pastoral quality to the 20 strong NSRO and chorus, which is particularly memorable in their treatment of Longfellow's Chimes and Yeats' He Gives His Beloved Certain Rhymes. My favourite record so far this year.