It’s always the same story. You’re sitting there waiting for one whiskey-voiced diva and then a load of them come along at the same time.

"...with an album proper to offer this time around, it seems that Johnson is back with a vengeance – fans of his effortlessly laid-back acoustic fare will immediately warm to this strong collection of songs."

"A million miles from thrash and punk, the twelve tracks here are an unusual mix of indie rock and country, with top class musicianship adding lots of depth and colour..."

Although there are numerous pointers as to what might have been, had Mary retained greater creative focus, there is precious little to savour here.

It takes an artist of supreme confidence to record an entire album of cover versions. Maria Doyle Kennedy has courage in spades, and Skullcover is a subtly seductive record.

"Featuring a mix of classics and originals recorded to capture the band’s live strengths the performances are faultless and Mary’s voice is better than ever."

"Generally the tracks have a real heart tugging quality to them, with rising melodies and great musical diversions as middle eighths – the band really know how to build a song to an epic climax."

"Most of the record is – sonically-speaking, rather than in terms of quality – classic Ghostface, but only a couple of these familiar tracks match the standard set on previous records."

"Glyder use their twin guitars to the max, and in vocalist Tony Cullen have a gritty frontman who avoids the macho excesses of so many other exponents of the genre."

Tales Of Silversleeve is pop music that it’s OK for indie fans to revel in, taking the listener on a musical journey that’s as inventive and idiosyncratic as it is infectious.