Neil Young: Homegrown review – his great lost album, finally unearthed
Recorded after a relationship breakdown then never released, this mid-70s set has a pleasurable lightness of touch rather than big statement songs
Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways review – a testament to his eternal greatness
Full of bleak and brooding rhythm and blues, Rough and Rowdy Ways reveals Dylan at his lyrical best
Jake Blount: Spider Tales review – instant classic reinstates folk’s black, queer roots
This debut album uses limber banjo and fiddle to delve into subversive stories of violence and survival
Watkins Family Hour: Brother Sister review – a model of sibling harmony
Sean and Sara Watkins are back and in reflective mood
M Ward: Migration Stories review – expanding the borders of Americana
The vocals are perpetually reverbed and the guitars are always twangy, but on his 10th studio album, the singer-songwriter stretches his legs a little
Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud review – the best album of the year so far
With tracks that nestle in heartache and bask in hard-won wisdom, this is an artefact of American song that measures up to Dylan at his peak
Big Thief review – subtle rockers make a grand noise
Despite a stage presence bordering on the self-effacing, the US indie folk quartet are a class act with a devoted following
Big Thief review – brawny folk-rockers beguile the big leagues
The New York group play their biggest-ever gig, and captivate thousands with their unshowy, confidently beautiful songcraft
Nathaniel Rateliff: And It’s Still Alright review – a mixed bag of Americana
The rock journeyman goes it alone with a grief-imbued album that treads a thin line between meaningless and profound
Frazey Ford: U Kin B the Sun review – bright shoots from knotted roots of American song
The former Be Good Tanyas member develops her intimate version of southern soul – but fills it with strife from relationship breakdowns to gun issues
Sturgill Simpson review – a trudge along the highways of Southern rock
The expectation-defying, Grammy-winning country singer throws all his eclectic styles into the mix – with surprisingly boring results
The Teskey Brothers review – Aussie blues revivalists let the good times roll
With their blend of Muscle Shoals soul, boogie-woogie and pub rock, the Teskey Brothers are trapped in the past – but make gorgeous music nonetheless
Grit Orchestra/Celtic Connections review – filmic fusion from an 80-strong band
Greg Lawson’s boisterous ensemble celebrate freedom and the Declaration of Arbroath while US duo Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn add festive moonshine
Hiss Golden Messenger review – songwriter is an anchor in a rudderless world
Playing solo and acoustic, MC Taylor delves into his sizeable back catalogue to deliver redemptive ‘sad folk songs’