RATM guitarist and hardcore troubadour participates in dodgy agit rap/rock experiment.

Slick yet soulless second effort from Denver’s Answer to Coldplay.

Despite boasting another stellar line-up of guest vocalists, James Lavelle’s dance-rock project once again fails to convince.

The clunkers come thick and fast.

Disappointing swansong from the King of Pop.

Pop and R&B backroom boy steps into the spotlight.

Craig David's back, and in fairness, he makes a decent fist of it. However, David is hamstrung by trying to please both critic and fan.

Predictable return to stadium soft-rock from former Poodle-permers.

An edgy rock album, reminiscent of Razorlight’s great debut, had been promised but is nowhere to be heard.

Sleek but insubstantial fourth outing from R&B songstress.

Teenage dreamer turns in nightmare of a second record.

The catchiest tune on The Block is ‘Summertime’, and in dignity terms it’s Cohen-meets-Waits compared to their hyperactive teen-pop of old.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love. Instead we get a new Korn album. Oh well.

Close but no rosette for the new British diva on the block.

Necessary Evil is bereft of surprises and is pretty much as you would expect it to be.

Underclass Hero is a perfectly workable North American punk rock album. It’s got melodic suss and a snotty attitude to its credit, but not much else.

Raw, sparse, low-key, vocodered hip hop.

The musical equivalent of a puppy humping your leg. This is not a recommendation.

Katy Perry's second album offers minimal creativity or originality, but there are several likeable tracks--despite their turgid, juvenile and bordering-on-offensive lyrical content.

Former Cranberries woman gives us too much of a good thing.

There’s nowt nu about this nu metal.

A perfectly functional album of loud guitars, ain’t life a bitch lyrics and the odd nod to different production styles and techniques.

Though hardly the disaster it could have been, then, The Stooges’ return feels unnecessary and, more importantly, undignified.

Pleasant young fellows cause record reviewer to suffer acute fit of niceness.