With their hearts in the Home Counties and their heads in Nashville, Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, aka The Shires combine the best of both musical worlds on their debut album ‘Brave’, out now. 

The Shires may be newcomers – but ‘Brave’ shows the evidence of Earle’s many years paying his dues as a solo singer-songwriter and Rhodes’s experience on the live circuit. And together, their distinctive voices blend perfectly. Both are inspired by the old-school workmanship of country music’s professional songwriters – an influence that echoes through the new single ‘Friday Night’, a modern end-of-the-week anthem for all those ‘9 to 5’ers.

'Shedding Skin', the third album from Mercury nominated MC Obara Ejimiwe is out today. The album strays from his traditional sparse electronic beats; recorded instead with a live band, thanks to a suggestion from Brian Eno.

This new approach continues the constant evolution of Ghostpoet and gives the album a raw, atmospheric feel, described by The Telegraph as an “insomniac groove to the gritty notes draining from electric guitars and a twitch of dirty old fluorescent bulbs in the glitch drum beats”.  Accompanied perfectly by Ejimiwe’s powerful baritone it takes the listener smoothly through the album's dark topics and gritty narrative.

Earlier this week, Florence + The Machine shared two videos – first, the nearly-instrumental ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’, and yesterday the official video for ‘What Kind of Man’, a full-force ear-pinning anthem of uplifting defiance which is the first single from her third album.

The new album - Florence's first since 2011's ‘Ceremonials’ - is also titled ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’. Its 11 songs were written and recorded throughout 2014 and produced by Markus Dravs (Björk, Coldplay). Where ‘Ceremonials' lyrics focused on water, death and escapism, Welch says the new album's themes are more of the here and now. "The new album became about trying to learn how to live, and how to love in the world rather than trying to escape from it," Welch says. "Which is frightening because I'm not hiding behind anything but it felt like something I had to do."

At the 57th Grammy Awards Sam Smith’s single ‘Stay With Me’, co-written by Jimmy Napes and Tourist’s William Phillips, won both Song Of the Year and Record Of The Year.

February 2015 sees the arrival of debut album ‘No Romeo’ by Indiana - a dark narrative set against a backdrop of electronica and innovative instrumentals.

"I write these songs that can appear to be love songs, and seem all nice and sweet," Indiana tells Billboard. "But then you peel away that first layer and chip away at that exterior, and they're all dark and a little bit twisted, and a bit sinister …”.

 

Rae Morris’ debut album 'Unguarded', was released today through Atlantic Records.

Enter Shikari have released their fourth studio album ‘The Mindsweep’ almost exactly three years to the day after the release of the band’s last full-length album, ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’.

Universal Music Publishing songwriters and artists have received five nominations for the 2015 BRIT Awards.

BBC Music has declared Years & Years the winner of the prestigious Sound of 2015 poll.  The addictive hooks, lush production and irrepressible feel good energy of the trio's sound won over the judges against stiff competition.

Introducing “15 for 2015” - our snapshot of 15 talented songwriters we’re expecting great things from in 2015.