The Proper Records Best Of 2011:

Nick Lowe - The Old Magic
"I'm sixty-one years old now, Lord I never thought I'd see 30". The line cuts right to the quick. For though he spent his 20s "busy not fitting into three successive movements: pub rock, punk and new wave", Nick Lowe has mined fertile new creative ground in recent years and the eleven tracks on 'The Old Magic' dig deeper still.
"Master songwriter comes up lucky with LP number 13" ****(4 Stars) - Q magazine
"Like a fine Nick Lowe continues to mature as a songwriter whilst others are withering on the vine" ****(4 Stars) - The Independant

Diana Jones - High Atmosphere
"High Atmosphere", the latest album in the remarkable career arc of singer-songwriter Diana Jones, hits with the force of a revelation, further deepening an unprecedented body of work that began in 2006. The Nashville singer-songwriter brings the mountain ballad tradition into the present day.
"A truly magical record...new music that produces a sense of wonder" *****(5 Stars) - Maverick
"Stunning new album from ascending country star...Jones is a class apart" ****(4 Stars) - Uncut

Red Sky July - Red Sky July
Red Sky July are Charity Hair (The Alice Band), Shelly Poole (Alisha's Attic) and Ally McErlaine (Texas) - three successful musician/writers united in a love of folk, country, vintage music and vintage clothes. The achingly beautiful songs on their debut album range from otherworldly modern folk to bluegrass stompalongs always informed by a wonderful pop sensibility.
"As atmospheric as it is emotional" ****(4 Stars) - Q Magazine

Tom Russell - Mesabi
A thread runs through Tom Russell's songs, a zigzagging but determinedly solid line that connects the perilous bordertown of Juarez, Mexico to the real and faux glitz of L.A. and the bleak iron range of Minnesota—the Mesabi of the album's title.
"..songs so potent they could hit a vein in a long dead corpse" Album Of The Week - The Independant
"The great US songsmith assisted by Lucinda Williams and Calexico..an epic study of sand and celluloid"
****(4 Stars) - Uncut

Jimmie Vaughan - Plays More Blues, Ballads & Favorites
For Jimmie Vaughan, too much of a good thing is a concept that simply doesn't exist. The follow up to his 2010 album "Blues, Ballads and Favorites" is packed with 16 covers of classic tunes that are close to his heart. Also returning for round two, to assist with the vocals, is Lou Ann Barton, whose powerful pipes grace several tunes on the new release.
"...great rock 'n' roll vocals...you are also treated to some great guitar solos from this quality guitarist" ****(4 Stars) - Maverick

The Waterboys - An Appointment With Mr Yeats
'An Appointment with Mr Yeats' sees the words of W B Yeats, one of Ireland's greatest literary sons, merged with the music of The Waterboys, one of Britain and Ireland's greatest rock bands, in a truly unique and ambitious musical undertaking.
"An Appointment with Mr. Yeats is a unique and memorable opportunity for lovers of great music and great literature to celebrate the union of song and word in one spectacular record."
**** (4 Stars) - Mojo