There's the requisite number of gorgeously melodic and deeply heartfelt songs in Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing-the addictive "Sweet Surrender", the Hollywood-style ballad "I Love You", the sad, profound "Angel", the flat-out spectacular "Witness". McLachlan's not prolific, but this short, bittersweet album proves again that what she and producer Pierre Marchand do release is cut from the finest cloth. -Jeff Bateman.

Taken literally, the Very Best of Prince title is sure to cause endless arguments. Nothing from Dirty Mind, not a trace of the early Controversy, no "Erotic City", no non-LP cuts at all, save some edited single-versions and a cold shoulder to the criminally out-of-print Gold Experience. As a compendium of 17 key A-sides from 1979 to 1992, however, The Very Best of Pri nce is (ahem) a quick-'n'-dirty review of the days when the Artist was, in the estimation of R. E. M. guitarist Peter Buck, one of the weirdest musicians in the Top 10. Blessed with both creative cunning and the wish to reach every listener possible, Prince revitalised rock and soul modes from the sex-crazed ("Little Red Corvette") to the cryptically spiritual ("Purple Rain"). Often he blurred lines between attitudes as surely as he did musical ones; the New Testament image of "Thieves in the Temple" became in his hands a complaint about a stolen girlfriend. A fine party artefact, this disc is still likely to prove too scanty even for many casual Prince fans. -Rickey Wright.

The premise was simple. Bruce Springsteen invites a dozen or so New York City musicians-packing banjos, fiddles, accordions and the like-to his New Jersey farmhouse for a three-day hootenanny and leaves the tape rolling. The results are sublime, his 21st album featuring their versions of songs harvested from Springsteen's dog-eared LPs by Pete Seeger. Not all written by Seeger, the songs are how the American folk icon interpreted them, and these organic recordings, with no rehearsals or overdubs, pay tribute with the simplicity and spontaneity he intended. It's not hard to link Springsteen's dissatisfaction with American politics to the protest song "We Shall Overcome" or even the Irish ballad "Mrs McGrath," where he alters the lyrics to read, "I'd rather have my son as he used to be/Than the King of America and his whole navy. " But the beauty of these Seeger Sessions are pieces that underscore the mood of the bandleader, which borders on down-home amusement: the bluegrass outlaw ballad "Jesse James," the Dylanesque "Pay Me My Money Down" and the euphoric "Jacob's Ladder," a gumbo-and-whiskey-fueled romp that could pass for the closing hymn at the Church of Asbury Park. -Scott Holter.

Just what is it that you do when the world catches up with you? Dave Grohl's pre-Foo Fighters career was about rebellion and breaking moulds, whether it was in Washington DC hardcore bands (Mission Impossible, Scream) or in Nirvana. When he stepped out from behind the drum kit and put out Foo Fighters, Grohl revealed a nifty knack for a tune and great ear for a guitar riff (and the drumming was still among the best around). He kept it up for the band's second album and the There Is Nothing Left To Lose is firmly in the same vein. That can be a good thing-there are no stinkers here-but after a pair of successful albums that have established him firmly as a talent in his own right, Grohl sometimes feels like he's on autopilot. (And the drumming, for a change, is unremarkable. ) Maybe the album should have been called There's Nothing Left To Prove. -Randy Silver.

Joni Mitchell's second album contains the first manifestations of her artistic brilliance. Where her debut, Song to a Seagull, has hints of greatness, Clouds displays the real thing. With her newfound control on melody and lyrical economy, she delivers songs that are readily accessible, instantly hummable, and virtually timeless. Her hippie excesses are still in view ("Songs to Aging Children Come" is untamed), but, for the most part, she has found her voice. "Both Sides Now" has become a lite-FM staple (thanks to Judy Collins's cover). While songs such as the incredibly idyllic "Tin Angel" (nicely covered by Tom Rush on his classic Circle Game), "Chelsea Morning", and "I Don't Know Where I Stand" have become modern folk standards. -Rob O'Connor.

Was it homesickness that compelled long time Los Angeles resident KD Lang to fashion her one woman campaign for Canadian nationalism, or just plain good sense? As an organising tool, all Canadian content has long been a mainstay of the Canadian Broadcasting System but few have selected their material with such a fine hand and a high aesthetic. The ex-patriot singer has taken great pains to create a sophisticated homage to her Canadian roots, elegantly reinterpreting 11 songs penned by some of her more illustrious countrymen (and women) such as Jane Siberry, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen. The idiosyncratic chanteuse turns Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" into an aching monochromatic lament, exploring new tributaries of pain that didn't exist in the original, while recasting Neil Young's "Helpless" into haunting anthem of memory and comfort, all the while sounding anything but helpless. Hymns of the 49th Parallel is a gorgeous love letter to her brethren, complete with an intelligent and understated orchestration. -Jaan Uhelszki.

Britain's favourite singleton, Bridget Jones, has finally made it to the big screen (and onto the cover of this 19-track soundtrack), bringing hope to lonely souls all over the country and a word of warning to smug marrieds everywhere. For what should be called "the best chick flick in the world. ever!" the soundtrack compilers have come up with a dream tracklist-from classics such as Aretha Franklin's "Respect", Jamie O'Neal's tearjerker "All By Myself" and Andy Williams' "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", to more contemporary gems from the likes of Gabrielle ("Out of Reach"), The Pretenders ("Don't Get Me Wrong") and Artful Dodger ("Woman Trouble"). Plus you get the added bonus of two unreleased Robbie Williams tracks-the big-band stylings of "Have You Met Miss Jones?" and the tender "Not of this Earth"-and, of course, the much-hyped karaoke-by-numbers of "It's Raining Men" by Geri Halliwell and her pants. There are a couple of fillers from Rosey and Alisha's Attic, but they don't distract too much from the generally choice tracks on offer. As Bridget would say, "v. good". -Helen Marquis.

O is the remarkable must-hear debut album from Dublin-born dreamer and troubadour Damien Rice. Like compatriot David Kitt, Rice is evidently a major talent, one of a select breed of loosely-affiliated modernist folk artists for whom the words "traditional" and "singer-songwriter" are hindering terminological obstacles that need to be blown clean out the way for the sake of progress. Adorned with unexpected musical twists, pleasures and textures-particularly Lisa Hannigan's fragile vocal accompaniment and Vyvienne Long's sonorous cello-O's strengths lie not only in the quality of the songs-songs that could easily withstand the thrill-free "unplugged" process-but the free-thinking adventurism that decrees that segments of operatically sung Inuit (on "Eskimo") and drowsy God-like Gregorian chants (on the truly touching "Cold Water", probably a rumination on drowning involving a discourse between a dying father, daughter and the big man in the sky) should not be off-limits on pop records. There are moments, too, of both unfettered savagery-"I Remember" begins with Lisa Halligan's yearning thoughts on a relationship before exploding with Damien Rice's retort, a vein-bulging riot of choleric rising to a climax of discordant strings reminiscent of "A Day in the Life") and embittered, self-pity-the doleful "Cheers Darlin", with its forlorn jazzy clarinet, clinking glasses and background cocktail piano. However, for those reluctant to march with the pace of change, the delightful likes of "The Blower's Daughter" and the Nick Drake-flavoured "Amie" (with a sweetly foliating string arrangement from Rice's second-cousin, the renowned composer David Arnold) offer a more relaxed route in to Damien Rice's strangely compelling world. -Kevin Maidment.

The last quarter-century has been nothing if not colourful for George Michael. But through all the controversy - the high-profile arrests and audacious videos, the fall-outs and band splits - he has emerged intact as a vital figure on the global pop scene - a fact compounded by his current 25 Live tour and this accompanying Greatest Hits package. Twenty Five is the fourth such collection in Michael's career, though it carries the obvious advantage of being more up to date than 1998's lauded Ladies & Gentlemen and features not only solo material but music from the early Wham! days. As such, it's the most comprehensive anthology yet, featuring upbeat Wham! classics like "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" and "Freedom" amidst sombre solo material like "Praying For Time" and "Jesus To A Child". The collection not only includes a host of evergreen classics, but also recent singles "An Easier Affair" and "This Is Not Real Love" (with former Sugababe Mutya Buena) and two unreleased tracks. There are some notable absences from the collection - "I Want Your Sex" and "Kissing A Fool" are two glaring omissions - but it still remains the most comprehensive survey of the artist's legacy to date. -Danny McKenna.

HBO's Mafia masterpiece The Sopranos is a remarkable television series-it's witty, creative, and truly unique. The same praises could be sung for a show's soundtrack, an odd but fun mix of beats, classic rock, and-what else?-Mafia-staple Sinatra. Alabama 3's theme "Woke Up This Morning (Chosen One Mix)" gets things off to a lively start, as does bluesman R. L. Burnside's "It's Bad You Know" (from his Come On In remix album). Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" (from his Slow Train Coming album), Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper", and Elvis Costello's "Complicated Shadows" aren't tracks you'll hear on the local classic rock station, but they work perfectly here. And when was the last time you heard both Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul and Nick Lowe on TV? In short, a great, eclectic collection. -Jason Verlinde.

Here's what they say about Jeff Buckley: "He died too young". Here's why they say it: Grace is simply one of the most amazing things you can do with your ears and a little digitally-encoded disc. He inherited the voice of his father, the legendary Tim Buckley-seven octaves, each of them only just enough to cram his big feverish dreams into-but his music was all his own. Think Van Morrison's Astral Weeks on drugs-but then drugs could give some kind of comfort, and there's no comfort in Grace; just constant flux between crippling despair and an almost violent joy. When "Last Goodbye" unfolds it's third different middle-eight of Bollywood strings and Buckley's ecstatic scatting, it's hard to believe an ordinary human could have had a hand in something so extraordinary. -Caitlin Moran.

In retrospect, it's hard to see how Oasis could have possibly equalled the hype surrounding the release of this, their third album. Arriving as their popularity was at its peak, it's a confusing, faintly self-indulgent collection. The first single, the wryly-titled "D'You Know What I Mean?", had a monolithic sort of grandeur, taking Noel Gallagher's fondness for overdubbed, wall-of-sound guitars to some new peak, but also seemed a little over-extended-as did its follow-up, "All Around The World", a slab of Beatles-esque, sing-along pop that seemed to last longer than the entire White Album. Then again, it made a kind of sense: nothing if not mindful of rock tradition, Oasis's quest to be the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band meant that they were obliged-like the Stones before them-to make their own mid-1970s album (albeit, two decades too late). And from its Caribbean origins, to its raucous, bloated, "cocained-out" sound, this is it: a triumph of arrogance over ambition. Maybe next time they'll go punk. -Andrew McGuire.

Apparently there's nothing in Kabbalah that disallows sweaty, head-spinningly good dance music, because here comes a flame-haired Madonna hawking a dozen songs' worth: Confessions on a Dance Floor darts seamlessly from Madge's early days, when she emerged as the genre's enduring darling, through the political, kiddie, and acoustic pap that drove a wedge between her and early adopters of the fingerless glove look. Songs like the pop-leaning "Jump" and first single "Hung Up"-an adrenaline drip on high that, like many of these tracks, will inspire mild shame among those who've thrilled to the much thinner disco-dusted outpourings of younger divas recently-represent both a return to form and an unmistakable march into the future. "Get Together" is a sonic freak-out in the best sense; "Push" traffics in gut-level futuristic trance; and "Forbidden Love" loops in '80s blips and bleeps for a follow-me-into-the-past effect that's both neo and retro. For all the image-affirming innovations here, though, these confessions find Madonna framed in her share of reflective moments too. "Was it all worth it/How did I earn it?" she asks on "How High," a song featuring vocoder. "Nobody's perfect/I guess I deserve it," comes the answer. A later lyrical inquiry is left for the listener to judge: "Does this get any better?" Madonna wants to know. But that opens the door to a dizzying proposition-few of us would have guessed, after all, that it got this good. -Tammy La Gorce More to Explore Immaculate Collection (CD) GHV2 (binding) Madonna ~ Lotsa De Casha (Hardcover) Official Madonna Calendar See more Madonna.

On XO, Elliott Smith leaves the indie doldrums behind and takes wing to new, lush surroundings. By adding full instrumentation to his acoustic reveries, Smith has ascended to a new level of song-writing that shores up his gentle voice and country-tinged guitar playing with extra layers of vocal arrangements and charming piano vamps. Strains of classic rock filter into the Beatlesque "Baby Britain" and the Beach Boys-inspired "I Didn't Understand"- but Smith succeeds in adapting them to his style rather than the other way around. A foot soldier in DreamWorks' war on standard-issue rock & roll, Smith joins new label mates Rufus Wainwright and Morphine as sophisticated interpreters of the new male psyche. XO is a stunning shadow print of a soul adrift in the music industry, a dark place indeed. -Lois Maffeo.

Since the break-up of teen duo Wham! in 1986, George Michael has constantly had to reinvent himself as a credible master of various musical styles. Ladies And Gentlemen charts this journey, from his duets with pop elite such as Aretha Franklin ("I Knew You Waiting (For Me)") and Elton John ("Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"), to dance floor classics such as "Too Funky" and "Fastlove" and bleak, evocative numbers such as "Jesus To A Child" and "A Different Corner". The songs are arranged on two complementing discs: the slower, ballady productions are on the first disc ("for the heart"), and the more dancey, poppy numbers are on the second ("for the feet"). The compilation also includes three tracks specially recorded for the album, most notably his duet with Mary J Blige on the Stevie Wonder classic "As". -John Galilee.