Amy Wadge - Bump (Independent) The fifth album release from Amy Wadge continues her journey through classic singer-songwriter territory. A folkie at heart, she’s always erred towards an American style, rather than British, or her native Welsh / Celtic tradition, though many would say that’s a good thing, and Wadge possesses both the voice and writing chops to pull off whatever she chooses. Starting as she means to go on with the lively “I Wanna Be Loved”, the sound is stripped back and laid bare, and it’s within this barren instrumentation that the songs and arrangements shine. “Mockingbird”, inspired by the Harper Lee novel, delivers a potent finale to side one (go on - imagine it’s an LP) and “Who Will You Be?” provides a similar service right at the end. Of the brace of covers, her aching version of “Don’t Leave Me This Way” stands out, beautifully. Incidentally, the album’s called Bump because it was recorded when she was eight months pregnant. www.amywadge.com Rob F. Next