Nick Lowe,”Indoor Safari” (Yep Roc)- The former Brinsley Schwarz and Rockpile stalwart hasn’t been too active on the recording front since the release of his 2013 album of Christmas songs,”Quality Street,” but the great man’s musical mojo remains firmly intact on the eloquent evidence presented by “Indoor Safari.”Working in close collaboration with his like minded Yep Roc labelmates Los Straitjackets in a musical marriage made in heaven Nick has crafted a hook laden melodic gem featuring remixed or re-recorded versions of nine tracks which originally saw the light of day in single or EP form during the past decade or so. Lowe’s abiding affection for the innocent delights of American pre-Beatles rock and pop informs many of his finest creations here, most notably “Went To A Party,” “Jet Pac Boomerang” and the exquisitely forlorn “Different Kind of Blue.”

Taj Mahal,” Giant Step / De Ole Folks At Home” (Floating World)-This larger than life New Yorker played a key role in the development of interest in world music during his creative heyday in the late sixties, weaving elements of Caribbean, African and South Pacific culture into his distinctive brand of bluesy music making in the process. This splendid CD re-issue from Floating World focusses attention on one of the critically acclaimed collections that Taj Mahal captured for posterity on the CBS label during this period. Originally released as a vinyl double album, the contents were equally divded between electric and acoustic discs as Mahal joined forces with criminally gifted session guitarist Jesse Ed Davis to breathe new life into much loved old favourites such as “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl,” “Six Days on the Road” and country bluesman Reverend Gary Davis’ “Candy Man.”

“The Best of Paul Williams” (UMG)- This easy on the ear compilation explores the back catalogue of Nebraska born singer-songwriter Paul Williams, who penned a string of his for performers such as Three Dog Night, Helen Reddy and, most notably, The Carpenters during the late sixties and early seventies. Williams operated in the same sort of tuneful, romantically inclined musical territory as the great Harry Nilsson and although his own solo creations didn’t make too much of an impact on the record buying public when they first saw the light of day half a century or more ago the contents of this anthology still repay closer investigation today. The pick of the excellent albums that Paul recorded for A&M Records when he was operating at the peak of his creative powers include his distinctive versions of self penned pop classics such as “Rainy Days and Mondays” and “We’ve Only Just Begun” to name but a few.