ALTHOUGH she’s a three times Grammy award winner and has released eight albums to date, singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin is hardly a household name and in many ways, she’s still, what’s termed as one of music’s best kept secrets.

Colvin’s latest album, ‘Shawn Colvin Live’(Nonesuch) is a great showcase for her talents and would serve well as an excellent gateway to her music for those still unfamiliar with this hugely talented artist.

Recorded in 2008 during a special three night solo engagement at San Francisco’s famous jazz club Yoshi’s, ‘Live’ includes twelve songs written or co-written by Colvin, as well as covers of songs by Robbie Robertson(of The Band fame), Gnarls Barkley(Crazy) and the Talking Heads. And it’s all performed by Colvin with just her trusty acoustic guitar as accompaniment.

The songs, presented in this stripped back, intimate fashion actually sound even more beautiful and poignant than when set against the backdrop of a full band and allows the listener to fully appreciate Colvin’s exquisite way with words, her graceful melodies and fine guitar playing.

Most of Colvin’s compositions are deeply personal affairs and her voice which glides effortlessly from bruise-tender to scar-hard is able to convey the emotions of the songs impeccably.

From a set list that is difficult to fault in anyway, ‘Polaroids’, ‘Sunny Came Home’, ‘Diamond In The Rough’ and an excellent interpretation of ‘Crazy’ are probably the standout moments.

If it is the intelligent singer/songwriter in a similar vein to Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris and the like that is very much your thing then Shawn Colvin needs to be picked up quickly by your music radar.

Sticking with the ladies, anyone who attended one of Leonard Cohen’s recent stunning concerts could not fail to have been immensely impressed by his three female backing singers, particularly Sharon Robinson who has long been a close collaborator with Cohen and co-wrote and produced his 2001 ‘Ten New Songs’ album.

Robinson has also penned songs for a galaxy of high profile singers such as Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, The Temptations, Patti LaBelle and Aaron Neville to name just a few.

But Sharon Robinson also is an artist in her very own right and has recently released a stunning album entitled ‘Everybody Knows’ (Freeworld).

The album was actually first put out late last year but the label that initially issued it promptly went bump but thankfully another record company Freeworld) picked it up which has enabled the album to get the distribution it so richly deserved.

The quality of Robinson’s singing cannot be overstated as her voice is a wondrous thing – rich and smoky in tone, powerful yet sensuous, cool but seductive and underpinned by a wonderful emotive style.

Robinson’s songs are blessed with great powers of relaxation and ‘Everybody Knows’ is the ultimate album to chill out to on the sofa with a glass of fine wine.

Leonard Cohen himself is featured as co-writer on the title track as well as on ‘Aleandra Leaving’ and the delicious ‘Summertime’ whilst he has also provided the cover artwork but the album is still very much Robinson’s own vehicle and utterly compelling it is too.

If, and it is a big ‘if’, this album is properly marketed and promoted, there is no reason why Robinson should not become a big name artist and mentioned in the same breath as Diana Krall and Norah Jones because she is undoubtedly, worthy of the same level of exposure.