Richard Swift has always been tremendously intriguing, and never more so that on this EP (which is available for free download from several websites). Behaving as though any one genre would never be able to hold him, Swift here comes over like a hyperactive Prince, but without ever straying into being annoying. With soul that would have fitted perfectly in the 60s, 70s glam rock and doowop, and some noughties singer-songwriter, Ground Trouble Jaw would be a treat at full price. You may not hear a funkier, more hypnotic tune than The Original Thought - it instantly becomes what the Germans would call an 'earworm', a tune that continues to play in your head long after you stop listening. Think Mika, but without any Mika-ness. There is every reason that the songs here should be instant radio favourites - you'll not be any clearer at the end about who Richard Swift is, or where his next direction may be, but this is such an enjoyable disc, such thoughts will be far from your mind.

ACE rating 9/10

Steve Morse may be one of the best musicians you've not heard of. An indescribably gifted guitarist, he has led Deep Purple and Kansas, although his playing with Dixie Dregs remains his seminal work. Able to combine rock with classical in a way that few can manage, this CD is a treat (not to speak of the DVD of two Dregs concerts that accompanies it). This live album, recorded a few years ago, features Morse with bass player and drummer, performing largely acoustic numbers (with some fluid, gorgeous, technically-brilliant rock interspersed). Songs like Little Kids and Flat Baroque reveal his Bach-like ability, while Tumeni Notes is a standout solo rock guitar masterpiece. The DVD features Dregs classics such as Bloodsucking Leeches and Assembly Line. Live In Connecticut is a package for the guitar aficionado - there is little that would please a Top 40 fan - but for anyone with a pick in their pocket, this is a real treat.

ACE rating 8/10

So many bands, so many great EMI years... Jason and the Scorchers were pioneers of country punk, a style of music that preceded the wild-eyed hick country punk of these days, with a delicious restraint and rock sensibility. This double album kicks off, quite rightly, with one of their best ever songs, the Dylan number Absolutely Sweet Marie, and carries on through the best of their work: Hot Nights In Georgia, Pray For Me Mama (I'm A Gypsy Now), I Really Don't Want To Know, Shop It Around and many others. For this band, their earliest albums, Fervor, and Lost and Found, were by far the best, and the EMI Years picks perfectly through those albums, bringing up only the best. There is, therefore, a case that no other Jason and The Scorchers album is needed beyond this one. And there is a case that you should have some Jason and the Scorchers - the dirty, sweet, compulsive and highly melodic rock takes some topping, however many years it has been since it first saw the light.

ACE rating 8/10