Taking the death penalty as the central theme for an album -the sleevenotes feature anti-death penalty quotes from the like of Bono, Chuck D and Nirvana's Krist Novoselic- may not sound like much of a party, but there's a human warmth and gentle humour in Franti's delivery, hitched to hugely danceable and uplifting music.

"Afrodisiac" is Brandy’s most personally revealing album to date and her least lyrically fluffy, but its intimacy is hamstrung by the MTV-flavoured, formulaic gloop with which most contemporary, American R&B now seems to be contaminated.

It's big, it's shiny, it's unashamedly happy and we wouldn't want it any other way.

But the failures are the exception, and what's remarkable about Velocifero is how convincing and cohesive it is.

Eclectic, electric and at times rather hectic, 'Souljacker' is without doubt the Eels finest release to date.

Tweet has the kind of voice that doesn't overpower her music but lets it breathe.

'Riot Act' may be neither 'the-best-album-since' nor 'a-brilliant-return-to-form', but neither is it more-of-the-same-but-less-so.

At times, 'Nocturama' feels like he's trying too hard. Some of the ballads suffer this way, as if Cave's straining to recapture the gravitas of 'The Boatman's Call' without excessive revelations or dramatic contrivance.

For the most part, "In Case We Die" tries so hard to be fun it is almost no fun at all.

Thematically, "Born Again In The USA" is a bold album that tries hard - perhaps too hard - to bind together the inter-related twines of culture, politics, history and entertainment.

Ultimately, the list of collaborators on She Wolf may be an impressive roll call, but perhaps Shakira would do better in listening to her own instincts than that of others.

Whilst “Some Cities” has less radio-friendly singles than “The Last Broadcast”, it is perhaps a more cohesive piece of work.

It's New Order-lite.

Well, it's not 'Low Life' or 'Technique' but there's at least seven welcome additions to the New Order canon and in the thrilling 'Crystal' and poignant 'Run Wild', a brace of bona fide classics.

'Maladroit' is a more satisfying half an hour than the often-impersonal 'Green' album. Quick-fire melody-driven, riff-heavy pop songs that resurrect the gritty, edginess of 'Pinkerton'. The best of both worlds basically.

'Up!' is not without its little oddities and delights.

"Up At The Lake" may not be The Charlatans' finest effort, but it’s certainly good enough to suggest they could still be around for another 14 years.

Despite the wide range of musical styles used here, each one is absorbed into that unique Jellies sound, smoothed and polished almost beyond recognition into a sumptuous, unthreatening ambient groove with echoes of The Orb, Groove Armada and Zero 7.

Minor gripes aside, My Way is far better than anyone could have expected from a singer whose reputation is still judged by his musical contribution from 20 years ago.

The first half of the album as a whole is easy to forget....Cardinology takes a turn for the best around the midway point.

Penate has gutted his sound and replaced it with something expressive, warmly empathetic and, best of all, blindingly spangly.

Most artists are well-aware of the pitfalls of the difficult third album, of course, and try to disguise their on tour / hotel room songs - but when has Mike Skinner ever been most artists?

'Love & Life' suggests "the queen of hip-hop soul" is truly now at the top of her game.

A full-blooded, affectionate and occasionally very funny album.

This is so rich, so intelligent, so feeling, that most of us will throw our hands limply in the air and join voices with mum Kate McGarrigle who, according to the dedication on the back, "still whispers in my ear that I'm great".

For the lovers, this patchy album offering moderate advance on its immediate predecessors will probably suffice. But in truth it's an unmitigated failure to reconcile the sound of their past with a cohesive vision of their future.

Ultimately, Working On A Dream feels like Bruce Springsteen taking stock.

"Christ Illusion" for the most part consists of leaden, grinding sludge devoid of any urgency or malevolence.