Artist: Glee Cast

Just brilliant music, 2010-01-03
Quite simply - I love Glee and the music. Every song (nearly) never fails to put a smile on my face. Second volume just adds that much more to the first.

Artist: Ali Farka Toure, Toumani Diabate

Believe the hype, 2010-03-07
Do you really need another Ali Farka Toure CD?
Do you really need more kora from Toumani?
And you've probably already got their first CD together......
I was unsure whether to bother with this latest release but I'm so glad I got it.
It is simply incredibly. Two musicians completely confident with their cultures and abilities. The result is laid back, seamless fusion of different styles.
The tracks are almost totally just kora, acoustic guitar and a little bit of vocals here and there. There is a smattering of extra bass, percussion and backing vocals on a few tracks.
Outstanding - made me revisit and listen with more care to both artists previous releases. A wonderful tribute to Ali Farka Toure.

Artist: Paolo Nutini

19-year old Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini sounds older than his years on his debut album, These Streets. It's not just his careworn, smooth-as-sandpaper voice, either (although, admittedly, it does help). It's more to do with the maturity of the lyrics, and the casual soulfulness of his delivery. "Last Request" is more the work of a vintage Motown singer than a teenager from Paisley, and it's to Nutini's credit that he carries it off with aplomb. And rather like the soul singers of previous generations, he manages to sing without a hint of hypocrisy about his own sexual exploits ("Jenny Don't Be Hasty") while also questioning his girlfriend's fidelity ("Alloway Grove"). It's the fact that he's so frank, and even a little bit naive, that he manages to get away with it. And though the stripped-down tunes on These Streets don't always immediately grab the listener (the title track, in particular), the songs where Nutini is accompanied by a full band often manage to evoke sunny-day American soul ("New Shoes", for example). This is a strong debut, and considering Paolo Nutini's tender years, bigger things can be expected of him in the future. --Ted Kord
Singing Style, 2010-03-08
These Streets By Paulo Nutini.

I purchased this disc because it had one song on i particualy liked, after Listenening to the whole disc i was surprised at his style of singing and adventurous use of instruments he plays, so i then went on the by another one of his discs and wow i love it. he is just great.

Artist: Fleetwood Mac

Great, 2010-02-16
This isn't so much a Greatest Hits album as a definitive collection. It has just about every decent track Fleetwood Mac have ever done (and they've done a few!). For anyone who hasn't bought one of their albums before, this is the type of collection that has you thinking "Wow, I didn't know that song was originally by the Mac".
Great value for money. One of the best hits albums I've ever purchased.

Artist: The Courteeners

Falcon Brilliant!, 2010-03-03
The latest from The Courteeners is a brilliant album, equally as good, if not better than their debut, St. Jude. There are more acoustic-type songs than rockers on this album, but that isn't a problem, especially since the acoustic sngs included here are superb, lyrically and melodically. Particular highlights for me include "Cameo Broach" and "The Rest Of the World Has Gone Home". There are some rockers, such as "You Overdid It Doll" (which should have easily got to number 1!!) and "Sycophant" which is also brilliant. "Will It Be This Way Forever?", the albums closing track could be the new James Bond theme tune!!

Highly recommended for Courteeners fans and for fans of rock and Britpop in the vein of Oasis, Pulp, Blur etc.

Artist: Rolando Villazon

my best buy of 2010, 2010-03-08
I am a new opera fan, and bought this for my birthday and i was not disappointed.

its a good price well packaged.

the cd contains some of my favourite arias, by the best tenor in the world in my opinion.

ideal present for the wife, or mothers day.
i would have loved this as a valentines present.

Artist: Jimi Hendrix

And the man with the guitar !, 2010-03-09
It's Jimi Hendrix............
You will never hear a better guitar player, fact.
It may not be his best album ever but Jimi's worst is better than a lot of today's best !
Buy it, play it, enjoy the greatest guitarist ever !

Artist: Peter Gabriel

Imaginative, Beautiful and Sensitive - A Must Buy!, 2010-03-07
This fascinating collection of covers is both interesting and wonderful. Gabriel's vocal delivery is low key yet broad in scope. The real stars are the accompanying strings. These range from soft delicacy ('Heroes', 'The Book Of Love') to full on orchestral dynamism ('My Body Is A Cage'). The choice of songs (and their reinterpretation) seems risky, but the whole album works beautifully. Because most of the songs are familiar, this is an album of constant surprises. For example, 'The Boy In The Bubble' features a plaintive vocal, a piano accompaniment and low key strings. Yet this reinvention transforms the song into a poignant, moving piece of music. 'Heroes', with a wonderful string arrangement, becomes a work that Philip Glass or the Kronos Quartet would be proud of. This album deserves thorough exploration. This is not one to listen to as background (although it is tranquil enough for that), but one to savour and enjoy over time. Each time I listen to it I discover something new. This is not rock 'n' roll, or pop, or rock, but it is certainly music to treasure. Peter Gabriel continues to be an interesting, challenging musician and this album is a welcome addition to his body of work. Highly recommended!

Artist: Beyonce

The latest outing from former Destiny's Child starlet Beyonce is an intentionally schizophrenic affair. Splitting herself into two separate characters--herself and alter ego Sasha Fierce--is the artist's way of presenting what she obviously sees as an artistic duality. The first set, I Am... is intended give a glimpse beneath the surface of her usual R&B-pop persona. Featuring recent single "If I Was a Boy," the soaring "Halo", and ballads like "Disappear", and "Ave Maria", it seems her "real" self is way more saccharine than the lady that brought us sassy pop moments like "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy". That side of her personality comes rushing back out on Sasha Fierce, a more rousing collection that kicks off with the infectious handclaps of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", ventures into Euro-dance territory with "Radio" and gets surprisingly risque with the voyeuristic "Video Phone". Which part of the album you enjoy most will depend on your musical proclivities, But the new, bifurcated Beyonce ensures there's enough diversity to satisfy the most demanding pop aficionado. --Danny McKenna
Brillian Album, 2010-02-23
Absolutely worth the money i paid for it! And i'd even pay shop price for it!

Artist: Gil Scott Heron

An instant classic, 2010-03-07
This is moving, dignified, intimate music, more personal than political - music by a great artist who still has something to say. Indeed two or three songs on this superb album would make it onto my dream "Best of Gil Scott-Heron".

The things you remember most about most of Gil's work are the intelligent, witty lyrics. While this album displays moments of lyrical invention, his greatest strengths on this album are his performances, particularly of other artist's songs. These have been helped by time (and some hard living) dumping a truckload of gravel into Gil's voice. I have heard few more moving declarations than Gil's reading of "I'll Take Care Of You". Robert Johnson's preternaturally scary "Me And The Devil" is rarely covered, but Gil's synth-backed reading stands comparison with the great Delta bluesman. Indeed, if you take the view that the blues is a sensibility rather than a conventional form (with its arteries hardened by unimaginative artists and audiences), then this is perhaps the greatest blues album since Muddy Waters walked the Earth.

This is a short album, operating at its fighting weight and mercifully free from the filler that spoils so many records. Interspersed with short, thoughtful interludes, the songs come in, do their stuff and then slide out without over-staying their welcome.

A joy.