Considering how randomly records are scattered through potential media outlets, there is a surprising degree of agreement as to which albums and artists get special attention. But among the recipients, each of us favours a few projects that nobody else seems to have noticed, and today’s programme is my selection of a few that slipped through the cracks in everybody else’s judgments.

Rhett Brewer is one of a handful of singers who makes up his own language to sing (among the others are Art Tuncboyaciyan, Sui Vesan and Julien Jacob (not quite enough to make up their own programme). Rhett is a British singer who has also recorded under other names.<a href="http://www.rhettbrewer.com">www.rhettbrewer.com</a>

Yasuaki Shimizu is a Japanese saxophonist first encountered on Wasis Diop’s breakthrough album No Sant. Investigation unearthed Yasuaki’s solo project in which he transcribed Bach’s Cello Suites for saxophone and recorded an album’s worth of tunes, include the Prelude. [By the way, Yasuaki’s sister Mieko Shimizu makes music in London, freelancing on David Lowe’s Dreamcatcher projects.] [thanks to www.farsidemusic.com ]

The deep-voiced Lula Pena is unlike any other contemporary Portuguese fado singer, but although her debut album Phados was a promising start in 2002, she has never released another. Her live performance on BBC London was one of the most mesmeric sessions I was ever privileged to witness. <a href="http://www.incubadoradartes.com/lulapena/">www.incubadoradartes.com/lulapena/
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Salamat was a supergroup of musicians from Southern Egypt corralled by the British producer Ben Mandelson for a series of albums for the German label Piranha. They all reward investigation.

Marta Topferova is an American-based Czech who plays the quatro and writes and sings in Spanish. I find the tune of ‘Semana Azul’ in my head months after last hearing it. http://www.martatopferova.com/ The violinist is Jenny Scheinman, recently introduced to the forum by Chris Potts

Finally the Yakutian shamanic singer from Siberia, Stepanida, with her track from a collaboration with the German duo, Hulu Project. <a hef="http://www.ccnc.de/media/en/TRANCE_SIBERIA.html">http://www.ccnc.de/media/en/TRANCE_SIBERIA.html</a>

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