Album: Cowboy Junkies, Renmin Park (Proper Records)

The Junkies sound has always been about that tension between the familiar and the other-worldly, so where better to look for inspiration than the three months Michael Timmins spent with his family in the Chinese town of Jingjiang?

The experience has revived Timmins' musical venture, and sister Margo's vocals, as ever, add to the sense of enchantment. There are field recordings, a smattering of Chinese instruments and even a jarring guest slot from one Zuoxiao Zuzhou. Their best album since those Trinity Sessions.