O, Devlotion! PIAS***

Back in 2007, Manchester's Liz Green was on lists of the hotly tipped, but, as is sometimes the way, not much happened. A series of studio problems, apparently, scuppered the momentum, but O, Devotion!proves the wait was worth it. Utilising a rarely heard kind of raw sparseness (it was eventually recorded in Liam Watson's no-nonsense Toe Rag Studios), the record plies its trade among the lowlifes, ne'er-do-wells and other distressed contenders who populate folk music's nether regions. Green, however, is up for it, singing such travails in a deadpan style that, while uniquely hers, is also reminiscent of British folk icon Karen Dalton. Throw in singular slivers of chanson, cabaret and old jazz and blues and you have an album that charms as much as puzzles. See lizgreenmusic.co.uk

Download tracks: Hey Joe, French Singer, Ostrich Song