Artist: Abba

Anyone looking for the key to ABBA's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their execution. "S.O.S." has a raw urgency in its chorus, and "Does Your Mother Know" draws its energy from classic 1950s rock & roll. Likewise, you don't have to be Priscilla to swoon over "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen". And when it comes to drama, those soaring vocals on "The Winner Takes It All" turn the song into a bitter anthem of every relationship that has ever fallen apart. The much-covered "Lay All Your Love on Me" is practically epic. --Steve Gdula
Abba: Gold shows why they will NEVER be forgotten, 2008-08-30
This compilation album needs little introduction as it has sold a zillion copies or something ;), and there is a reason for that. Nobody, not even The Beatles have created a finer collection of pop songs. Pop is often sneered at by some hoity toity music lovers, but there is no need. A finely crafted 3 minute pop tune can be just as meaningful and exquisite as any other piece of music. The tunes Bjorn & Benny created will live on forever, and the girls singing stays in your mind so very easily.

For me this is not their ultimate collection, as I liked more of the bitter-sweet songs they did like Eagle and The Day Before You Came. But that's a personal preference. This compilation contains all the biggest hits, including some of the camp/hi-nrg stuff that can be ever so slightly cringe-inducing nearly 30 years on. But that's just because things have moved on, leaving the production stuck in a point of time which can't be avoided and happens to all pop music.

Abba - a top class act and the ultimate pop band. No question about that.

Artist: Sash!

Pure Class, 2009-01-06
Best dance CD i've bought in the last year. had only heard ecuador and raindrops before i bought it, but the rest of the songs are deadly. a must buy.

Artist: Miley Cyrus

Yep--the artist formerly known as Hannah Montana is going it alone. Having conquered the teen market under her Hannah Montana moniker, 15-year-old Cyrus is now aiming for the adult world; or at least a slightly older audience. Breakout follows her dual-marketed Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus album, and differs from it in that she sounds a little more grown up, a little rougher around the edges, and just a touch more self-expressive. Needless to say, Breakout is produced to within an inch of its life. Every aspect, from concept to mixdown, has been polished and buffed to achieve that perfect tween sheen. Despite this resulting in a somewhat sterile and claustrophobic aura, the album manages to achieve some infectious moments. To her credit, Cyrus has co-written most of the songs here (all but two), which largely eschew electronic dancefloor sounds for a guitar-heavy ethic. The punchy title track (co-produced by the Go-Go's Gina Schock), the thrashy, catchy "7 Things" and the boyfriend putdown "Fly On The Wall" are immediate highlights, but ballads such as "Bottom of the Ocean" and her sped up version of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" are much l...
Miley's Breakout!, 2008-12-06
Well i was obsessed with her 'meet miley cyrus' cd so i guess its gonna be the same for this cd too!
1. Breakout - The title track, great girly pop/rock and it gets better every time you listen to it 'oo all over again' - 8/10
2. 7 Things - Great choice for the first single, very catchy upbeat country/rock feel - 10/10
3. The Driveway - Dont worry this is just miley singing on this one! Very addictive you will putting this one on repeat - 10/10
4. I was a little worried about her covering this but shes really 'mileyfied' this classic - 8/10
5. Full Circle - Not my favourate but still a good track and nice to sing too - 7/10
6. Fly On The Wall - Love this one, probably my favourate on the album (well, at the moment) miley shows us a different side to her and its awesome - 10/10
7. Bottom Of The Ocean - Lovely soft ballad although the message is very sad - 10/10
8. Wake Up America - Miley expresses her feelings about issues ongoing in america, inspirational but sometimes kind of cheesy but i gotta say i love it! - 10/10
9. These Four Walls - Her vocals in this are very good, nice song - 9/10 10. Simple Song - This will relate to a lot of people, another that will probably be on repeat. Love it! - 10/10
11. Goodbye - Great way to end the album. Nice soothing tune and vocals - 10/10
12. See You Again (Rock Mafia Remix) - It was brilliant the first time round and its an okay remix but still sounds like the original too much - 10/10

Artist: Cliff Richard

Cliff is ageless! Superb!, 2008-12-08
Had to buy this double album to celebrate Cliff 50 years in music - I already have all the tracks but it was so good to listen to this compilation. It took me back but as the compilation is so well arranged it was so good and made me feel very happy to listen to the tracks. Saw him on "Songs of Praise" on Sunday 7 Dec - he is as popular as ever. His concert tickets sell out in no time - he is timeless! A well prepared compilation album which I am pleased I bought.

Artist: Coldplay

To say there has been a lot of anticipation for Coldplay's fourth album, Viva La Vida, is an understatement. Having enlisted legendary leftfield producer Brian Eno, borrowed their album title from a painting by renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and made tantalising remarks about sonic reinvention, the world has been curious (to say the least) to hear what the `new' Coldplay might sound like. Viva La Vida definitely makes some departures from the band's usual formula, which happens to be one of the most commercially successful rock-pop blueprints of recent years. The plangent chords, emotive melodies, stadium-rock rhythms and universal lyrical concerns remain, but Martin and co. have gone out on several limbs here, incorporating instrumental tracks ("Life In Technicolour"), using subtle North African and Latin elements ("Yes", "Strawberry Swing"), and overhauling previously strict verse-chorus-verse structures in favour of slightly more avant arrangements. The old Coldplay still shine through (see tracks like "Violet Hill" and the title song) but even their classic sound feels more muscular and confident. The band's new flourishes, cosmetic and self-conscious as they...
As good as ever!, 2009-01-03
Coldplay are one of the those rare bands who are capable of producing consistently good albums. This album is a fantasctic journey of catchy riffs and instrumentals coupled with the usual quality Coldplay lyrics & vocals. I have enjoyed all of Coldplay's albums and to date they have all offered something different with this album being no exception. I would highly recommend this album to all music lovers.

Artist: Razorlight

Most bands ripen and transcend their earlier selves, eventually. But for Razorlight the onset of maturity has been particularly rapid. It’s like they got on the bus with their debut Up All Night, all tight jeans and scrappy attitude, winging a child’s fare and yet by the time they sat down they were in comfy slacks, pulling a financial supplement from their jacket pocket for light reading and asking the kids at the back to pipe down. Their eponymous second record unapologetically disposed of the fervour and sense of place of Up All Night, pursuing instead a universal sense of melody and more generic themes. It is this vein that they build on with Phase 3, aka Slipaway Fires, and having already engaged the mainstream, Johnny Borrell now makes a big play to be prompted alongside some of the greats. With the sentimental piano balladry of “Wire to Wire” and “The House” he positions himself between “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and Elton John. On “You & the Rest” and “60 Thompson” he goes after Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan respectively. The eye-openers are exaggerated cliché “...
Stop hating, 2009-01-06
I have read negative reviews for this purely based on the alleged arrogance of the band which is pathetic. This album in truth, has some great songs, some good songs and some poor songs. Razorlight have moved on musically and are new making a more relaxed sound which suits the vocals of the band. A good album and for me these are the stand out tracks: Wire to Wire, Hostage of Love, Go Thompson, Stinger and the epic Monster Boots.

Buy it and make up your mind but listen with an open mind and without and prejudice about the band. Who knows, you may like a few songs!

Artist: Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones

A Christmas Cracker, 2008-12-20
We are witnessing a classic piece of history made in December 2008. This unpretentious rendition is truly moving and will be talked about and remembered well into the future.

Well done Sir Terry and Aled.

Go on - buy it!

Artist: Various Artists

Fantastic!, 2008-12-31
A brilliant compilation of many of the hits of the 70s that they usually miss off the so-called 70s hits! I especially loved the David Cassidy songs, which have never appeared on compilation discs previously.

There were a couple of songs I didn't recognise but that didn't spoil the overall enjoyment of the CDs.

Definitely a collection to get if you're having a 70s party or just for pure nostalgia!

Artist: Boyzone

Fantastic, 2008-12-31
Got this for Christams. They should never have went away. I love the new video with there partners, they have all got older as we all do.
A really nice CD and a great group that will get back on top of Westlife.

Artist: Fron Male Voice Choir

Voices of the Valley - Home, the best so far!, 2008-11-30
Another really great offering from this Welsh Male Voice Choir that compliments the previous two. I thought the mix of "easy listening" and traditional choir pieces really set out the talents of this group. The voices are complimented with some beautiful arrangements and orchestrations to make it 45 minutes of sheer joy.