end of the road

Ice-cold thriller with a downhome feel from the Coen brothers

Neat odd-couple comedy ruined by abysmal ending

Gritty Southern rebel off-loads her emotional freight in a brilliantly paced set

Kathleen Edwards was one of the highlights of this year's South By Southwest Festival in Austin. Surely, I thought, she couldn't sound as good on a dull Wednesday night in a dingy London basement. But she could and she did. The buzz created by her debut, Failer, attracted some top London record company bosses to her first ever UK date. Among those were alt. country specialists Loose—although if they have designs on her, they must have been dismayed by the competition, which included Warner's chief, John Reed. And he surely could not have failed to be impressed.

Double CD focusing on Chicago soul giant's work with friends and disciples

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Meaty debut from Tartan Tarantino

Fourth album proves crowning glory of Detroit duo's meteoric career to date

Veteran Louisiana-born country-soulster runs the gamut of musical styles and moods on her daring and dazzling follow-up to 2001's critically lauded Essence

The homecoming Boy has come a long way