Album: Seth Lakeman, Hearts and Minds (Relentless/Virgin)

To follow-up Poor Man's Heaven, Seth Lakeman has brought in the producer Tchad Blake, known for maximising the power of acoustic music without sacrificing its subtleties.

One effect is noticeable in the single "Hearts & Minds", in which explosive, funky folk-rock carries an anthemic protest against bankers, politicians and other "fools from the public schools" who are ruining the country. Lakeman's sawing violin is cemented in the churning riff. At the other extreme, "Changes" is picked out in ticking pizzicato, with keening female harmonies reminiscent of Grace Slick in her Jefferson Airplane prime. "Tender Traveller" and "Signed And Sealed" are two of several tracks in which the theme of fugitive flight figures strongly. The call to the dance, however, is an ever-present undercurrent.

DOWNLOAD THIS Hearts & Minds; Changes; See Them Dance; Tiny World