Following the 20th anniversary of The Stone Roses’ debut album, Ian Brown returns with his sixth solo set, rightfully titled My Way. The album is a testament to his unyielding ambition, borrowing brass arrangements that belong in Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti-western scores and fusing them with his own brand of electronica. The trademarks are intact. Brown’s tested formula of balancing contemporary rhythm, which began on the much-celebrated Roses debut album, with intelligent echoes of the past seems perfectly at ease here. My Way sees Brown moving from social commentary to the personal, drawing deep from his own experiences to create his most intensely emotional record in years. The bulk of the 12 tracks are co-written with in collaboration with Dave. Opening track Stellify sets out his current musical stall, topped off with electronics and jangling pub piano.

Interestingly, most tracks adopt a mildly instructive attitude sometimes couched in semi-autobiographical terms: Just Like You admires the virtues of responsible individualism, the triumphant fanfares of Crowning Of The Poor hail the righteousness of poverty, Laugh Now finds him discarding mockery and betrayal respectively, while on Vanity Kills, he takes a dim view of extreme self-importance. For The Glory is one of Brown’s sweetest tunes for years and elsewhere, there’s Own Brian, an anagram of the singer’s name as he helpfully points out, a pleasing slice of stomping electronica. He gets funky on the shuffling Marathon Man and even attempts a little retro soul with closer So High. Ian Brown just keeps on getting better with age. And as it stands, his way seems like the only way to go.

Best track: Stellify

Worst track: The Year 2525

Country superstar McGraw sticks to the basics on his 10th album. The opening song is ‘80s arena-rock ballad that skirts rock territory with its chugging bass line and screaming guitar solo. But the album soon enough settles into more recognizable contemporary country strains, from the tradition-leaning, minor-key melancholy of Ghost Town Train (She’s Gone) to the jagged modern sound of It’s A Business Doing Pleasure With You (co-written by Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger) to the mandolin and strings laced ballad I Didn’t Know It At The Time. Aside from a couple of guitar solos and overstated choruses, Southern Voice doesn’t aim for a pop crossover, making it McGraw’s most natural-sounding album in years. The collection is filled with such jarring juxtapositions, never settling into one particular mood. Mr Whoever You Are is unerringly dark, a tale of a small-town girl looking for escape. But that’s followed by the album’s title track that imagines a Southern identity that spans, improbably, Rosa Parks, Dale Earnhardt, and Billy Graham. On the song If I Died Today, the singer wonders who would or wouldn’t miss him after death, while on I’m Only Jesus McGraw offers an interesting take on personal responsibility while singing from the perspective of Jesus Christ. The stark Good Girls recounts the souring of a friendship between two women chasing the same man, and Forever Seventeen opens with a gentle kick: "Let’s be honest/You’re not flawless/But you’re as close as anything I’ve seen."

Best track: It’s A Business Doing Pleasure With You

Worst track: You Had To Be There

The Swell Season, the Oscar-winning duo of Frames front man Glen Hansard and Czech ing`E9nue Marketa Irglov`E1, are following up their self-titled debut (which expanded into the gold-certified soundtrack for the hit film Once) with 12 new, original songs on Strict Joy. The album devotes more concern to exploring the lush possibilities of Swell Season’s sound, which now includes tasteful doses of strings, electric guitar, and overdubbed harmonies. The results are quite often gorgeous, with songs like The Rain and Wild Horses building up to expansive, therapeutic climaxes over the course of several minutes. While Hansard’s voice brings an unpretentious, gruff sound to the music, Irglov`E1’s unfaltering soprano soars high in the background, giving many of the songs an uncanny depth and soulfulness. When Irglov`E1 sings lead on the heartbreaker I Have Loved You Wrong, she brings a mixture of dignity and fragile beauty. The opening track, Low Rising, is a Van Morrison-esque folk song that exemplifies what works best on this record. The bold, primal vocal of Hansard takes command of every song, even at the times where the performance is a tad subdued. Two Tongues is easily one of the more emotionally fragile and touching songs of the album and the pair’s vocals build to a chorus where you can almost feel bitterness between the two as they deliver their lines. Love That Conquers serves as the album’s sweetest delight, as the two sing softly together over a rustling autumnal backdrop. Vocally, both musicians have their sparkling moments. For Hansard that comes in the form of the heartfelt In These Arms, a track on which he possesses an almost Lanegan-like deep grumble, while Irglov`E1 shines on the mesmerising lullaby Fantasy Man.

Best track: The Rain

Worst track: Paper Cup

Album of the month
Alice in Chains — Black Gives Way To Blue (EMI Virgin)

Seven years after frontman Layne Staley died of a drug overdose, surviving members Jerry Cantrell (guitar/vocals), Sean Kinney (drums) and Mike Inez (bass), along with new lead singer William DuVall, have accomplished something truly impressive: they have released a new Alice in Chains album worthy of the band’s legacy. Fortunately Black Gives Way to Blue is similar enough to the group’s classic sound, without descending into creepy or desperate mimicry. New singer-guitarist William DuVall, who splits vocal duties with guitarist-songwriter Jerry Cantrell, acquits himself nicely in conjuring those specific, mesmerisingly Alice In Chains trademark harmonies. Every track is evidence in itself of the meticulous care Jerry Cantrell has taken in shaping the revival. Cantrell, who penned most of the lyrics, opens the disc with the glacial All Secrets Known, which celebrates the group’s rebirth: "Hope /A new beginning /Calm /All wounds are healing". DuVall leads the charge on Last Of My Kind with an aggressive vocal style that’ll make even the new singer’s biggest skeptics bang their heads. Your Decision builds around a gorgeous, acoustic guitar and features guitarist Jerry on lead vocals for what might be the album’s best track. Classic Alice harmonies perfectly complement the driving guitars on solid rockers like Lesson Learned and Take Her Out, while DuVall and Cantrell’s voices add lushness and depth to the more delicate When The Sun Rose Again. The Down In A Hole-esque Private Hell, gives plenty to sway to, with its ethereal harmonies and melancholic tone. It sets the stage perfectly for the closing title track: an uncomplicated, poignant tribute to Staley, featuring Elton John on piano. Black Gives Way To Blue is a worthwhile comeback album deserving of its kudos. Rest assured, seeing the AIC legacy being carry forward by such accomplished band mates, Layne Staley can rest in absolute peace.

Best track: Your Decision

Worst track: Acid Bubble

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