The latest reviews from Kevin Bryan.

Neil Young, "Earth" (Reprise Records)-The veteran Canadian rocker may be in his seventies now but he's still as admirably unpredictable as ever. The  contents of this environmentally aware live package were captured for posterity during his  2015 tour with the band Promise of the Real, with the overdubbed   sounds of assorted members of the animal kingdom interspersed  between many of the  tracks to further emphasise the ecological theme  of "Earth."  It's a typically uneven affair  but, as usual, when Neil Young is good he's very good indeed, with  "Big Box," "Hippie Dream"  and an epic re-vamp of "Love and Only Love" emerging as three of the musical highlights.

Phil Collins, "... But Seriously" (Atlantic  Records)- This newly remastered and expanded version of Phil  Collins' multi-million selling 1989 album has been fleshed out into a 2 CD set with the inclusion of a string of live tracks and demos. It may have been  a much more melancholy and sombre  affair than the Genesis stalwart's previous solo offerings  but several hit singles emerged from "...But Seriously" nonetheless, including  the gospelly "I Wish It Would Rain Down" and  Phil's subtly  memorable comment on the tragic plight of the homeless, "Another Day In Paradise."

"Let The Record Show : Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul" (100% Records)- Dexys frontman Kevin Rowlands has always marched to the beat of a slightly different drummer than the rest of us mere mortals , and his latest recorded venture finds this quirkily soulful character applying his unique talents  to an eclectic selection of songs  drawn  from the repertoires of pop and Irish folk . Evocative traditional ballads such as "Carrickfergus" and "Curragh of Kildare" nestle  snugly alongside Kevin's  impassioned renditions of everything from Rod Stewart's "You Wear It Well" to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now"  and Rowlands  is in particularly fine fettle on a snappy reworking of the Friends of Distinction's  late sixties soul hit , "Grazing in the Grass."

Wishbone Ash, "Argus Then Again Live" (Talking Elephant)- This highly competent re-creation of the classic 1972 album, "Argus,"  was recorded live in the intimate confines of  an American radio studio eight years ago by a Wishbone Ash  line-up featuring only one of the original band members  in the shape of singer and guitarist Andy Powell. As an exercise in rock nostalgia the recording should be a must for Ash completists despite Powell's relative deficiencies in the vocal department, with "Blowin' Free " and "The King Will Come" ranking as two of the stand-out tracks.