Because of the deft manner in which she combines the styles of country music, pop music, folk music, and the music of her Brazilian ancestors, Anna Lopes stands out as a bright light in the huge musical tapestry of linked genres and worldwide influences that characterises the music business. At the age of 19, she uprooted her life and travelled to the United States to...

The moment the jaunty guitar kicks in on John Smyths’ new single, "Now I'm Wiser", you feel a familiar, comfortable warmth. It’s the sound of a good chair in a bar where the floor is sticky with spilled truths. And then the story starts, a classic yarn of a hard-living past yielding to a peaceful present. Smyths, a Dutch ex-metalhead singing country out of...