It's those lyrics that make much of this second album such a disappointment.

Are they a country band playing alt.rock or an alt.rock band playing country? These questions are pointless. They are simply and sublimely Lambchop, and we are lucky to have them.

It's a rare thing to find an album that is a real, unexpected pleasure to listen to all the way through.

The bits which 'aren't bad' are the bits which don't involve Ms Hilton.

The results are not quite Tasty, but they're pretty damn close.

This rather bloated record should be regarded as a disappointment - an interesting one, but a disappointment none the less.

(ONe) is decidedly safe and anything but experimental.

Another reassuringly exceptional album.

More beautiful, uplifting, sweet music than you could ever require.

There is a sense of 'heard it before' on many of the songs on the album, but, nonetheless the songs still have the ability to rip your ears off.

Like most tribute albums, Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited is a rather hit and miss affair, but it may just persuade people to rediscover a man who was somewhat misunderstood throughout his life.

Whilst most die-hard fans are likely to be put off by some of the tracks on offer, this is the sound of a band settling into comfortable maturity.

It's a journey through the West Country trio's brand of infectious bluesy garage rock and evocative of a head on collision between The Kills and the Arcade Fire.

After a while shapes form and the structure of this masterpiece become clear - a wash of beautiful melodies and sumptuous chord changes that sit somewhere between George Harrison and Echo and the Bunnymen.

If you're looking to buy this record on the back of Heartbeats you may be disappointed as it bears little resemblance to the Knife's current work.

Compared variously to The Flaming Lips and Grandaddy, Midlake's take on '70s soft rock is actually better than both.

It[']s by no means an album for all times, and can get too repetitive for its own good, but in the right place, at the right moment not much tops it.

A monstrously grandiose, ridiculously gargantuan and stunningly inventive work from start to end.

Peaches' overt and upfront sexuality was once refreshing, but it now feels a little relentless. Quite possibly, the novelty has worn off.

He's well able to marry insightful lyrics and memorable melody to a genre not always associated with such qualities.

A slight whiff of missed opportunity perhaps, but this is by no means a stinker.

There isn't a duff track to be seen, and you get the feeling the whole thing's been meticulously planned and orchestrated, with a mindset of giving us a record to cherish, something to put on when the chips are down, and that rare thing, one that will almost certainly be loved in equal measure many years down the line.

It is put together with a huge degree of dignity and respect that makes it the perfect swansong for the Man In Black.

Although long-term Dashboard fans will miss the more fragile moments, the new, big, epic sound is one that suits Carrabba.

Fundamental is the thinking person's electropop album of 2006 so far.

Compared to what went before, The Return Of... is a massive let down.

The personal attachment to the material shines through.

This is one of the most exciting debut albums for sometime.