Kevin Bryan delivers his verdict on some of this week's CD releases.

Jeremiah Johnson,"Unemployed Highly Annoyed" (Ruf Records)- The Covid 19 pandemic has effectively halted the careers of rock musicians around the globe, as most of them were reliant on the income generated by live performances to keep body and soul together. St.Louis born singer-guitarist Jeremiah Johnson has responded to the months of enforced quarantine by assembling a concept album capturing his response to the crisis, with drummer Tony Antonelli and bass and keyboards wizard Paul Niehaus IV stepping up to the plate to underpin his stunning fusion of rock, country and Mississippi river blues . The finished product must rank as Jeremiah's finest offering to date,showcasing some highly topical self-penned material alongside a splendid revamp of Luther Allison's "Cherry Red Wine."

The Pawn Shop Saints,"ordinary folks" (Dolly Rocker Records)- The Pawn Shop Saints' sparse and unadorned brand of Americana has prompted favourable comparisons with iconic figures such as Steve Earle and Townes van Zandt in the past, and their latest offering, "ordinary folks," showcases the excellent New England trio at their most compelling. The lyrical content was inspired by a rambling journey that creative mainstay Jeb Barry made around the Appalachian sections of the U.S. a few years ago,reflecting the everyday struggles of the inhabitants of small town America in what have become increasingly troubled times. "Body in the River" and "New Year's Eve, Somewhere in the Midwest" capture the essence of the Saints' refreshingly honest approach to music-making.

Kim Sjogren & Lars Hannibal,"Pablo de Sarasate & Niccolo Paganini" (Our Recordings)- Danish guitarist Lars Hannibal joined forces with his fiddle wielding countryman Kim Sjogren in 1980 to form Duo Concertante, and the two men played more than a thousand concerts together during the subsequent decade and a half, delighting European audiences with a blend of contemporary material and established classics. This finely crafted studio offering slots neatly into the latter category as the two men serve up their distinctive treatments of evocative gems such as the Spanish composer Sarasate's two best known works,"Carmen Fantasia" and "Zigeunerwiesen."