BEST OF THE NEW RELEASES...

BLACK GRAPE: Orange Head (Dgaff)

SHAUN RYDER is an immensely likeable reality TV star, best known for raising a chuckle on I’m A Celebrity... and Celebrity Gogglebox, but he still has time for music.

His fourth album with Black Grape skips haphazardly between Latin grooves, electronic dance-rock and reggae. It could easily have been a mishmash, but it’s stylishly held together by his freewheeling vocals and the rapped contributions of fellow Mancunian Paul ‘Kermit’ Leveridge. ‘We get it on like the Rolling Stones,’ sings Ryder on the pulsating dance track Panda. He hasn’t lost his swagger. ★★★☆☆

HANNAH WICKLUND: The Prize (Strawberry Moon)

AN APPEARANCE at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival is a rite of passage for any budding blues musician and South Carolina star Hannah Wicklund earned her stripes when she played the event last year.

Backed by members of Michigan rock band Greta Van Fleet, the 27-year-old reiterates her mastery of the guitar and homespun, aching vocals on The Prize. ‘Maybe I’m abrasive, maybe I’m too much,’ she sings on Witness, while there’s a touch of Stevie Nicks to the title track, a soul-baring ballad about her growing pains. She plays Dublin on May 28. ★★★★☆

VARIOUS: The Color Purple (Warner)

THE latest screen adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel reaches cinemas next week, but its sprawling, though nicely varied, soundtrack is already out.

It’s an epic two-parter that kicks off with ensemble pieces and swinging show tunes from its 2005 Broadway spin-off. The film has also inspired a string of contemporary female artists to create new tracks. Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and actress Fantasia Barrino shine on heartfelt R&B ballads. Rapper Missy Elliott delivers a reggae mix of Hell No!, while British singers Jorja Smith and Celeste display poise and power. ★★★☆☆

VIENNA PHILHARMONIC: New Year’s Concert 2024 (Sony 19658858932, two CDs)

THIS New Year’s Concert from the golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna had a special flavour.

Christian Thielemann, not usually associated with light music, seems to have loosened up since the last time he took on this high-profile assignment, in 2019. He approached the task with his usual seriousness, looking out some unusual pieces including a Quadrille by Bruckner, but his actual execution was free of any stiffness.

Other pieces new to these concerts include the Archduke Albrecht March by Komzak and a Lumbye galop. ★★★★★