Does it succeed in his aim? Triumphantly. With bells on. Tinker bells, even.

It's hardly a novel idea to cover these songs, but Isaak's versions succeed through skilful arrangement, vibrant recording (mostly at Sun) and above all some remarkable vocal performances.

This is a record Guy Clark can surely be proud to have as a tribute.

There's a nourishing warmth in their bittersweet laments.

It's wholly derivative, yet the tuneful, instantly gratifying choruses often trump one's desire to play spot the influence.

If progress is their aim, then this is fine proof of how a softly-softly approach is often best.

Her worthier sentiments are balanced by maturing wit, self-awareness and the distinctive snap'n'slap of her funky guitar grooves.

What meets at this particular crossroads is good old-fashioned blues, soul-stirring gospel and a funky, Hammond-organ-soaked sound.

Their bluesy approach doesn't draw anything truly rich and strange from their vintage Cambodian material.

The covers of their favourite maverick songwriters more than matches for the originals.

[It's] orchestrally enhanced, romantic balladry of fair beauty.

The music is astounding, threading erudite raps through ghetto soul jams and panoramic orchestral interludes.

Its low-budget weirdness will have you laughing into the new year.

Psychic Life is fully in touch with such early-Eighties weirdness, but is also fresh, approachable and thoroughly spellbinding.

Each track has a timeless quality, as suited to a Seventies mid-west saloon as a students' indie disco.

For now Birdy remains a novelty. Her rich, malleable vocals suggest, however, that she won't be caged for long.

There are good things here, but nothing especially new.

It's a pleasure to hear her scatting her way through moods and melodies, sketching vocals out, even when they don't work.

His pensive, personal songs often evoke nocturnal drives on dusty highways with hypnotic allure.

With the right collaborators she can conjure golden moments.

It's not an album that takes itself too seriously (one song is called I'm No Elvis Presley) but it's an upbeat romp of a CD with some fine song songs such as Black Fly.

Bush is still making music that intrudes and abducts.

Prine is extraordinary, one of the most eloquent artists of modern times and seeing where it all started, in this super CD, really is something very special.

Ilo Veyou is a magnificent, kaleidoscopic oddity, unafraid to risk ridiculousness in pursuit of the sublime, fearlessly unlike anything else you'll hear this year.

Here, leading lights of electronic music remix King Midas Sound's underrated debut album to striking effect.

The result is both silkily seductive and moodily narcissistic.

An adrenalised behemoth of a record which reasserts her position as one of pop's most compulsive pleasures.

His second album is a regression. A year on, the gaudy guitar loops and sleek hip-hop beats sound mundane.