The Balcony may not have the presence of a Definitely Maybe or an Is This It, but it’s certainly a solid step in the right direction.

His voice sounds better than ever, and while nothing here recaptures the glory years of The Verve, his songs are more focused than ever before.

Just when you think the album is sinking into mediocrity, Borrell and company respond with two of the best tracks they have ever put their names to.

Ultimately it's hard to see this matching the levels of their early success.

It's not an album that will change your life, but its airy grooves make for perfectly pleasant listening for under an hour. And sometimes, that's all you need.

If New Glow is anything to go by, the creative well seems to be starting to run dry.

Foxx's music and range of vocal techniques are not unique, but perhaps this added touch of genuine, heartfelt realism is what will see the actor make a successful jump into the music industry.

At its best it's a wonderful homage, at its worst it's a vanity project.

Easily HIM's most accessible album to date.

The band's experimental side (the side that made them good) has suffered, as if "Wires" was the new blueprint on how to write successful songs.

The 10 tracks that make up Tales Don't Tell Themselves brief-though-engaging narrative are deeper, more accessible offerings that need those vital extra two or three listens to really sink in.

Whereas their first album hit the mark perfectly, The Pick of Destiny swings wildly and misses.

There are numerous highlights on Coming Up For Air to ensure success in sales and chart placings and that is, of course, the dream for any aspiring act: fame and fortune. But it comes at a cost as the charm and character of their early guise is being tempered.

It’s another long album – if there’s one conclusion to be drawn from this record, it’s that Justin Timberlake desperately needs an editor – but it’s a return to the slinky RnB pop that made his name. The problem is that there’s not much of the sparkle that was evident about 20 years ago.

The list of guest stars includes Jessie J, Robbie Williams and will.i.am, and the album is as overproduced as those names suggest. Worse still, on The Fifth Dizzee Rascal succumbs to the worst stereotypes of rap music.

So there are a couple of silly tracks - but then there were two silly Bennett sisters [in Austen's Pride and Prejudice]. Sadly, the remainder of the album is all Mary and no Elizabeth; devoid of life, wit, or energy.

There is much to admire here, and much to cherish.

Devlin’s talents as both lyricist and rapper are never in doubt, but for all the album’s pomposity and scale, musically speaking, it feels like a big step backward.

In her first offering, Jessie J's only real failing appears to be her attempt to be everything to everyone. As a result the album fails to live up to its title, for by the end of it you're left none the wiser when it comes to the identity of Jessie J.

These People is a mixture of epic ballads harking back to the sound of the Verve and attempts to move forward with rather half-hearted electronic pop. Despite some beautiful moments, Ashcroft seems to have fallen into the gap between the two.

Unless a couple more of these tracks manage to repeat the success of 'When I Grow Up' and stick on commercial radio, this is an album heading straight for the bargain bins.

Unfortunately Turn It Up, bar two brilliant singles, just doesn't stand up to repeat listens.

There are one or two new ventures into the unknown, but by and large, The Pigeon Detectives haven't made enough progression from Emergency.

The potential is undoubtedly there, but Reptar's debut album suffers badly from the band's chaotic approach, as well as Ulicny's occasionally grating vocals.

The old master may not be as abundantly creative as he once was but there’s life in the old fart yet.

While it may not be enough to garner any new fans, existing devotees will feel that the wait has been worth it.

The rest of the 13 track album sounds like a mix of Latvian Eurovision Song Contest entries and The X-Factor winners' songs; an unmistakable, cringey 'life affirming' theme runs throughout, with the obligatory twinkling electro loops.

It's downright bad.