Album: Pete Greenwood, Sirens (Heavenly)

While every singer-songwriter seems to have a backstory to tell, there's something refreshingly simple about Pete Greenwood's history: "Born in Leeds, moved to London, came across a nice guitar, wrote a bunch of songs," he summarises. This debut album entirely reflects that understated and dignified approach. It's James Taylor folk-ish in the main, but Greenwood is not afraid to go California cowboy and even at one point ("Bats Over Barstow") manages to sound like a Velvet Underground hoe down. Born in Leeds, moved to London? Who's he trying to kid?

Pick of the Album: 'Sirens' sounds like a lost 1970s classic