Peach

Alabaster DePlume, so called because it was the name he thought he heard joyriders shout at him in the street when he was wearing a skirt, describes his third album, Peach, as a "sweet and soft and good thing with a stone in the middle". But there is no stone at the centre of Alabaster - it's all sweet, delicious peach.

Peach continues in the vein of his impressive Copernicus album with a rich mixture of classical music, songs and spoken word, a combination which makes the softly spoken Mancunian a rare treat indeed.

The songs are enchanting, full of open heart surgery honesty and sweet, melancholic, meditative melodies. This is an album to lose yourself within, to tightly wrap yourself around, its multi-layered fabrics like a thick duvet over your head, shutting out the world's noise.

The instrumentals, in particular 'Turpentine', 'Pastry' and 'Whisky Story Time', are heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The poems are bold, thoughtful works. Alabaster's delivery is unique, almost Shakespearean. He recognises this, plays with it, parodies himself. Adopting the moniker of Alabaster DePlume, how could he not?

Yet, it is through this that he is able to express a core of humanity - that we are all ridiculous, puffing our chests out with bombastic personas, but our feelings, fears and vulnerabilities are what make us human.

Peach ends with 'I Am Strange', a celebration of being odd with a chorus of people joining in with the refrain. I'm certainly happy to be in that chorus wearing a skirt, on the side of those with hearts.