Rock & Pop

UB40 FEAT. ALI, ASTRO & MICKEY: Unplugged (UMC)

VOCALISTS Ali Campbell and Astro plus keyboardist Mickey Virtue make up one of the two manifestations of UB40 currently touring, and they bring an agile poise to this acoustic album of classic covers and band originals. The group’s 1980 debut Signing Off was made on a simple tape machine and there is a similar sense of ease here. Purple Rain pays a reggae tribute to Prince. I Got You Babe sees Ali’s daughter Kaya singing the Chrissie Hynde lines.

VARIOUS: The Life & Songs Of Emmylou Harris (Rounder)

EMMYLOU Harris is joined by guests on a sprawling live album that celebrates a career that took wing after she toured with her mentor, country icon Gram Parsons, in 1973. Sheryl Crow sings Two More Bottles Of Wine and Mavis Staples adds richness to the traditional hymn Will The Circle Be Unbroken?, while Alison Krauss and Kris Kristofferson also appear. But pride of place goes to Harris, 69, whose tender, plaintive soprano sparkles.

JIM JAMES: Eternally Even (Capitol)

JIM JAMES fronts the American rock group My Morning Jacket, but his second solo album is surprisingly soulful. Its smouldering, electronic melodies were originally intended as film music and the feel is suitably cinematic. There are nods to Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, plus echoes of Tame Impala’s mix of psychedelia, funk and jazz. Here In Spirit addresses hate crime in America, while We Ain’t Getting Any Younger is an epic, two-part centrepiece.