"Like a little bird singing at the top..." more

"Like a little bird singing at the top of a tree." less

"I think i'd always been put off inves..." more

"I think i'd always been put off investigating her by the idea that she was some sort of poor man's PJ Harvey. Mistake." less

"Wonderful Uzbek singer. This woman ca..." more

"Wonderful Uzbek singer. This woman can SING." less

"Chinese popular music of the 1930s: w..." more

"Chinese popular music of the 1930s: who'd have guessed it would be so addictive? Not me, that's for sure. I am so glad i stumbled on this album." less

""New York", a different song than the..." more

""New York", a different song than the one Cat Power sings, is the standout track: great lyrics, haunting melody, beautifully sung." less

"One of the most beautiful night-fille..." more

"One of the most beautiful night-filled albums I've ever heard. The whispering and keening vocals are hypnotic." less

""New York" is my favourite track and ..." more

""New York" is my favourite track and I'm also coming to love "A Woman Left Lonely" and "Don't Explain". What a voice: husky and heart-breaking." less

"Sings like a tiger with a throat full..." more

"Sings like a tiger with a throat full of nails. Great reworkings of what i believe are old Neapolitan songs. The music has an interesting Middle Eastern tinge." less

"No-one reaches the places that Diaman..." more

"No-one reaches the places that Diamanda goes to: the depths of hell and then some. She doesn't so much sing a song as rip it apart. Next to her everyone else sounds tame." less

"A Costa Rican/Mexican singer who soun..." more

"A Costa Rican/Mexican singer who sounds as if she's lived a million years - and as if it's been one hell of a million years at that. Her voice conveys so many things at once: pain, pride, weariness, humanity." less

"Lovely, chilled out songs with pretty..." more

"Lovely, chilled out songs with pretty vocals. Perfect listening for later in the day. Favourite track; "Let Us Lie Underneath The Night"." less

"This is my favourite of the two album..." more

"This is my favourite of the two albums i've picked, although this one's probably not quite as accessible. Beautiful, almost whispered vocals. "White Ape" is a nice upbeat number." less

"A German actress/singer who emigrated..." more

"A German actress/singer who emigrated to the States, recorded this one album and then retired to raise a family. It feels as if it was recorded at night in an empty house. So beautiful, especially "Forget About". Her voice is so delicate it makes everyone else sound like they're belting their songs out!" less

"Came across this album by chance was ..." more

"Came across this album by chance was much taken with it, especially the song "Les Phenix (version acoustique)"." less

"Turkey's "Queen of Pop" apparently. M..." more

"Turkey's "Queen of Pop" apparently. Most of the songs on this album feel earthier, deeper and more traditional than that tag would suggest. Interestingly, a lot of the music is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern in flavour. Her voice is gruff but warm and she really does tear at your heart when sings a song like "Bahane."" less

"I love Aiko Shimada. She's another of..." more

"I love Aiko Shimada. She's another of my "late night" singers. In fact she's second only to the Welsh singer Gwyneth Glyn (not represented on eMusic as far as i know) in my books. This is my favourite of her albums and includes two songs, "Rare Flower" and "She Is A Cloud" that everyone should hear at least once in their lives." less

"Polish/Czech duo who play the cello a..." more

"Polish/Czech duo who play the cello and share vocals. This is the first of their albums and the best. The music is warm and woody (thanks in large part to the cellos). Wonderful to listen to at night." less

"Israeli-Canadian folk singer-cum-sing..." more

"Israeli-Canadian folk singer-cum-singer/songwriter with a distinctive, nasal voice and a quirky line in songwriting. Definitely worth checking out especially tracks such as "Dead Bird"." less