THE Lazy Sunday Afternoon sessions have become a well-established part of the local circuit, having brought a wealth of new acts into town via its monthly shows. Fans of acoustic, folk and roots music are well catered for and this, their third music sampler, acts as an excellent calling card and memento of what these shows represent.

The 9 tracks that mix the local talent with acts that you might not have otherwise come across, begin appropriately enough with the session hosts, Mr Love & Justice (pictured). Never Know Why perfectly sums up the bands lilting west-coast influences and rippling guitars dovetailed with their a quintessentially English approach.

Younger, female singer songwriters are well represented with the delicate, pastoral pop of Faye Rogers, the soulful vibes of Tamsin Quin and Charlie-Ann Bradfield’s more chart-glancing, Goulding-esque Army Bird.

Ever the traditionalist, Ed Hanfrey’s contribution, Mimi & I, is a timeless piece of folk that would be as comfortable in a small tent at Cambridge Folk Festival as it would be in the corner of a pub any time in the last 300 years.

Beasts of Their Own by Ells and the Southern Wild takes a dark and dynamic path through the folk genre and James Daubney provides a wonderfully dexterous instrumental to round things off.

But it is the two bands that I am less familiar with that really caught my attention. Naomi Paget’s reflective questioning vocal forms the core of What If? By Light Falls Forward, but the music it rests on is equally as impressive, weaving wonderful layers of subtle textures.

Similarly, The Orient Express conjure exotic soundscapes, referencing traditional Turkish music as much as they do Western folk and the resulting Gelevera Deresi is reminiscent of Loreena McKennitt’s world music excursions.

So, buy the album, go to the shows and support the great work that is being done under the banner of Lazy Sunday Afternoon in hosting some amazing local, and not so local artists. - Dave Franklin