She has only had a few bona fide hits, but after almost 30 years, she's finally delivered a 15-song compilation of her signature songs that will be a CD point-of-departure for casual fans and newcomers well into the new millennium. The companion Misses volume is an intriguing curio that might rather more generously have been marketed as a bonus disc. -Jeff Bateman.

The key to Roxy Music's success is that from the start they were grown men playing rock & roll. Coming to stardom in his late 20s, Bryan Ferry had the knowledge and experience to invest his songs with novelty and depraved intelligence, but was sufficiently new to the whole thing that Roxy always sounded fresh. When they started getting on each others' nerves, they had the presence of mind to split up for a while, and reform when they felt like it-the result was Manifesto, a unique, compelling record that could well be their best album. Informed by the rhythms and radiance of disco, with a vicious edge that recalls their early recordings, and the effortless fluidity of Avalon and Flesh & Blood, it's the consummate Roxy record. The singles-"Dance Away", "Trash" and "Angel Eyes"-showcase the album's range, spanning saxophone suavity, fractious rock and hypnotic, disorientating disco. But the real jewel is the title track, a taut tapestry of rhythm and noise that they never topped. -Taylor Parkes.

Anyone who owned the vinyl copy of Live at Leeds will barely recognise its digitised namesake. While the 1970 record offered a mere six selections, the 1995 CD reissue is fleshed out with a full 14 tracks. Revelling in the augmented Leeds prompts one to wonder why in the name of "Heaven and Hell" they didn't put out a double record in the first place. No matter. This Live at Leeds is actually superior to its revered predecessor. The Who are at their Maximum R&B peak here, bringing an almost proto-metal aggression to supercharged covers of "Young Man Blues", "Summertime Blues", and "Shakin' All Over" (all from the original record) and treating fans to originals familiar ("I Can't Explain", "My Generation", "Magic Bus") and less known ("Heaven and Hell", "Tattoo", "A Quick One"). An improved-upon classic. -Steven Stolder There are only a handful of genuinely seminal albums, but The Who's Live At Leeds is undoubtedly one. Recorded in the comparatively intimate environs of the University Refectory, Leeds, in February 1970, the two-hour-plus show was heavily truncated and clocked in at a mere 38 minutes upon it's release as an album later the same year. Despite this, the album's six tracks showcased the thermonuclear dynamics that established The Who as the best live rock band in the world. [+]

As its title suggests, a companion-piece to A Night At The Opera in almost every sense: "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" recalls the fey, music-hall spirit of the previous album's "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon", just as "White Man" echoes "The Prophet's Song". "Somebody to Love", meanwhile, attempts to outdo even the grandiosity of "Bohemian Rhapsody"-this time substituting the influence of American gospel for Italian opera, and allowing Mercury's diva inclinations to run riot. Over-the-top, undoubtedly-but the band knew it. Even at their most wilfully indulgent, Queen were always redeemed by a knowing sense of irony. Unlike many of their peers, they not only recognised the inherent absurdity of stadium-rock, but actively embraced it: the larger-than-life posturing, the overblown emotions, the operatic need for catharsis-all were worked into their music, and exploited to the hilt. But ultimately, it was the songs that mattered most-and they were, with very few exceptions, superb. -Andrew McGuire Both regal and raunchy, Queen was at the height of its powers in the mid-70s, riding the soaring vocals of Freddie Mercury, the ringing guitar crunch of Brian May and the band's shameless theatrical flourishes. Coming so quickly after the band's A Night At the Opera opus, this 1976 album works hard at repeating the same hit-making elements, down to the matching cover art. If A Day At the Races lacks the same level of pop tunesmanship, there is still energy in these tracks, particularly in the rocking "Tie Your Mother Down" and the emotional "Somebody to Love," which set a blueprint for future ballads by the band. -Steve Appleford.

At least Rod Stewart is consistent. Long accused by critics of selling his considerable interpretative talents short and playing it safe for the trappings of fame, Stewart revisits the font of his latest career revival here. But while 2002's It Had to Be You at least turned on the novelty of hearing raspy Rod the Mod tackle Broadway standards with a boozy, world-weary tone that sometimes reinforced the originals' intent with cross-generation flair, the rock icon has unfortunately reverted to form on this 14-track sequel. Set against the laconic, cocktail-friendly productions of vets Richard Perry and Phil Ramone, Stewart's performances seem strangely detached throughout. Even when offered the chance of some real human interaction on a pair of ill-conceived duets with Cher (who at least attempts to bring some dramatic flair to "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered") and Queen Latifah (whose recent turn in Chicago informs the title track), Stewart seems almost blissfully unaware of their presence. These are songs that virtually demand to be acted out, not phoned in. Brilliant vocal performances often reinforce the notion of "the singer, not the song"; here that old adage sounds more like a suggestion of where to place the blame for this album's disappointments. -Jerry McCulley.

Since Soundgarden's lamented breakup in 1997, grunge stud Chris Cornell has been working with his longtime friends and musical peers in the band Eleven-keyboardist Natasha Shneider and guitarist Alain Johannes. These stellar musicians make Cornell's latest album crisper, more musical, and less rocky than what one came to expect from Soundgarden. The soaring "Follow My Way" is epic in scope, and, in fact, Euphoria Morning is aptly titled; the album is a cohesive mood-invoking musical meditation, especially tracks such as "When I'm Down", which has a near-gospel feel thanks to backing vocals and a spare, uplifting vibe. Fans of Cornell's mellower work with the supergroup Temple of the Dog will enjoy this ardent and mellifluous 12-song collection from one of rock's most recognizable voices. -Katherine Turman.

Since her maiden single, "Dreams", debuted at No. 1 in 1997, Gabrielle has gone from strength to strength releasing a string of soulful hits-as featured on this compilation. From the tearjerker "Out of Reach" (from Bridget Jones's Diary) to her recent Top 10 hit "Don't Need the Sun to Shine (To Make Me Smile)" and her fantastic cover of the Dionne Warwick classic "Walk On By", Gabrielle opts for deeply felt music which, she has admitted, often reflects on her own life. Also included in this selection is "If You Ever" (featuring E17) and the wonderfully positive "Rise" taken from the album of the same name which heralded her re-establishment as one of the UK's most successful singer/songwriters. -Norma Powell.

The success of her first international hit, Watermark, confirmed Enya as less a singer or songwriter than a sonic architect: working with producer Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan, the classically trained pianist built vaulting cathedrals of sound, framed by luminous piano, shimmering synthesizer orchestrations, and, above all, the seemingly infinite layers of vocal harmonies she applied to every song. The deeply romantic Celtic pop on its 1991 successor, Shepherd Moons, sustains the same spectrum of hushed reverie and surging, rhapsodic releases, as well as its mix of ballads, floating midtempo pieces, and forays into Celtic and Latin- and it's every bit as seductive. The terminally hip will sneer, but it's no accident that "Caribbean Blue", the best known song here, managed to sneak onto modern rock, top 40, and adult-oriented radio playlists. -Sam Sutherland.

If Natasha Bedingfield's first two singles, feisty R&B anthem "Single" and chart-topper "These Words", suggested she's more than just Daniel's little sister, her debut album, Unwritten, is the confirmation. Better still, it proves she's a genuine pop star in the making with a staggering tally of potential hits. Aided and abetted by some of music's biggest hit makers, including Robbie Williams's former writing partner Guy Chambers, she reveals the true size of her ambition and potential, squaring up to every female chart icon going. The party hard electro-rock of "I'm A Bomb", the irrepressible optimism of the title track's chorus and "Drop Me In The Middle"'s slinky R&B strut, respectively have her taking on Pink, Nelly Furtado and Beyoncé and showing that she's a worthy contender. Add the slamming Gwen Stefani attitude of "If You're Gonna" with its boybaiting hook of "I'm looking for a guard dog not buying a Chihuahua" and the image of an independent, smart talking bombshell who's no one's pushover is complete. And Unwritten is her flawless statement of intent. -Dan Gennoe.