After five days of music on the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm in a year, festival director Peter Noble called "their best ever year" at a press conference this morning; both in terms of lineup, and the way the festival was run - including new noise restraints that kept disruption to both people and wildlife to an absolute minimum - Bluesfest was brought to a close tonight for the 24th time, by the one and only Paul Simon.

For True is the latest offering from New Orleans multi-instrumentalist Troy Andrews better known as Trombone Shorty. The record is a true genre-busting affair, with contemporary RnB featuring alongside the more traditional elements of the New Orleans sound. For True is a high-energy romp; it grabs your right from the first note, and doesn’t let up throughout.

More belated summer weather brought Byron Bay to life for the second day of Bluesfest, and you couldn’t help being drawn to the sunshine vibes of Queensland’s Bobby Alu, especially as his trademark percussion breaks lured more hip-shakers to the dancefloor.

With the sun shining and the crowd numbers strong (though a decline from the heavyweights that comprised the 2011 lineup, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Grace Jones et al), Bluesfest reminded the crowd what it's all about: the music, the good vibes and the experience.

Welcome back for another week of exciting news and releases!