Two years in the making, This Desert Life is the kind of collection that will please the Counting Crows faithful and leave doubters unconverted. Adam Duritz's recognisably emotive vocals and the group's classic-rock stylings remain in the fore as the Crows stick near the nest with their third studio outing. The Mellencamp-like opener, "Hanginaround", is one of the strongest tunes here, thanks to its laid-back passion and catchy piano and percussive elements. The familiar feeling "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" is another lively offering, but at nearly eight minutes it's too long. The emotional, Van Morrison-like lament "All My Friends" feels self-pitying, while the balance of the album is simply bland. The sound is appealing (witness the spare "Colorblind" and the waltzing "Amy Hit the Atmosphere"), but This Desert Life is, on the whole, rather dry. -Katherine Turman.

In an era of digital downloads and singles, Tori Amos embraces the concept album in a sprawling 23-song oratorio. Firing across the American psychological, social, and political landscape, she takes on the state of the world, war, and feminism. To help her, she adopts five personas-her American Doll Posse-who take their characteristics from Greek gods, but not their names: Clyde, Pip, Isabel, Santa, and Tori. You need a scorecard to keep track, but don't worry. It's still Tori Amos, bending syllables in improbable pretzels with rippling piano themes and choruses that threaten to go Broadway at any moment. Amos vents her political spleen through "Isabel," leaving no doubt as to her targets on tracks like "Yo George," and comments on our impersonal age and computer addiction with "Digital Ghost. " That's sung by the character "Tori," who is reputedly based on Demeter and Dionysus, representing the split between Amos's earth-mother side and her wilder, more libertine tendencies. Anti-war and pro-feminist themes are plastered across American Doll Posse like sloganeering posters. "Dark Side of the Sun" laments both sides of the war, including the Islamic extremists who lay down their lives "for some sick promise of heaven. " Amos adopts a big '80s rock sound on many tracks, with guitarist Mac Aladdin pealing off Brian May-style guitar licks over an arena-rock beat. [+]

How much better, you could be forgiven for wondering, could Let It Be be? The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is "a bit". Let It Be, while obviously better than almost everything ever recorded by anyone else, was compromised by the fact that the Beatles were disintegrating as a unit during the recording sessions, the rancour most famously illustrated by John Lennon calling in Phil Spector behind Paul McCartney's back to rework "The Long and Winding Road". Let It Be. Naked, then, is the album as the Beatles would have heard it while they were making it. The tracklisting on this version of Let It Be differs slightly from the original-there's no "Maggie Mae" or "Dig It", while "Don't Let Me Down" has been added. The rest of the songs, shorn of Spector's decorative flourishes, confirm that although the Beatles were having occasional difficulty speaking to each other during these sessions, there was no problem about playing together. The only two minor quibbles are that "The Long and Winding Road" is still McCartney at his most saccharine, and that any Beatles version of "Across the Universe" is never going to hold a candle to that by Laibach. -Andrew Mueller.

Considering that Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, the English duo known as Tears for Fears, were avid followers of Arthur Janov, father of the Primal Scream form of mental therapy, it wasn't surprising that one of their biggest hits was titled "Shout". What was surprising was how the two managed to take all their deep- rooted inner turmoil and make such positively buoyant music. Case in point: their other Songs From the Big Chair-spawned, No. 1 hit, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", was a meditative contemplation of the struggle for power within interpersonal relationships as a metaphor for global supremacy-which, thank god, had a good beat so you could at least dance to it. -Billy Altman.

With the tenth anniversary of Cohen's last studio album-1992's The Future-rapidly approaching, Columbia Records can be perhaps be forgiven for continuing to mine the master tapes of his old live performances. The songs here are collected from two 1979 concerts at London's Hammersmith Odeon and Brighton's Dome Theatre. At that time, Cohen was touring in the wake of his Phil-Spector-produced Death Of A Ladies Man album and was, to judge by the performances collected here, on fine form. His voice had not quite plummeted to the crockery-rattling depths captured on I'm Your Man (indeed, on "Memories", he positively yelps), and the backing band, including Jennifer Warnes on backing vocals, are terrific throughout. The songs, of course, are impeccable, including "Lover Lover Lover", "Bird On A Wire", "So Long, Marianne" and "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye". -Andrew Mueller.

With titles like "(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket", "Writing" and "Bitter Fingers" ("Oh, could you knock a line or two together for a friend? /Sentimental, tear-inducing, with a happy end"), this was originally intended as a kind of concept album, loosely retracing the early careers and rise to fame of John and lyricist Bernie Taupin. Instead, it emerges as a clash between its singer's private and public faces, between the songwriter and the showman. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" (allegedly about a failed suicide bid) ranks with John's most tender confessionals and Taupin's best lyrics; while "We All Fall In Love Sometimes" is a wry and compassionate admission of unrequited romantic longing. But then, there's a superfluous reworking of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (intended, it seemed, simply to commemorate the singer's newfound friendship with John Lennon) and the defiantly-upbeat "Philadelphia Freedom. " So which was the real Elton? Tragedienne, or pop tart? Decades later, the answer is still far from clear. -Andrew McGuire.

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.

The delightful pairing of Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters headlines the 1974 cast of Mack and Mabel. Despite a distinguished pedigree of composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, director Gower Champion, and producer David Merrick, the show ran only 66 performances on Broadway due to an unwieldy and tragic plot about the doomed romance of silent-movie maven Mack Sennett, creator of the Keystone Kops (Preston), and star Mabel Normand (Peters)-which won't prevent you from enjoying this CD. Herman's score evokes the old silents (the banjo is particularly welcome), and the songs include "When Mabel Comes in the Room" (a welcoming song that is a direct descendant of Herman's "Hello Dolly"), the sprightly "Tap Your Troubles Away," Peters's defiant "Wherever He Ain't," and "Time Heals Everything," a gorgeous ballad that Peters subsequently made into a staple of her solo performances. Both Preston and Peters were nominated for Tony Awards, as was the show. The CD includes extensive production notes and a synopsis, but no lyrics. -David Horiuchi.

Emotionally and musically intense, Little Earthquakes shows that the piano is as much a rock & roll instrument as the guitar. Tori Amos's debut (if one disregards Y Kant Tori Read, as one would be well advised to do) is at once listenable and challenging; she takes on every topic, from sex to gender to religion, in an uncompromising manner. Her music appears gentle at first but this appearance is deceiving, as one quickly learns upon listening to the wrenching "Crucify" or the almost violent "Precious Things". By the time the album gets around to "Me and a Gun", sung hauntingly by Amos without accompaniment from her piano, the juxtaposition of Amos's sweet voice and the emotional complexity of her lyrics is both familiar and shocking. Sandman fans should listen for a reference to author Neil Gaiman in "Tear in Your Hand". -Genevieve Williams.

A singles band if ever there was one, the hits on Pop make the duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke of Erasure sound like the Rogers & Hammerstein of synth-pop disco. With the exception of The Circus and The Innocents albums, most of Erasure's full lengths house only a few brief moments of brilliance, the rest of the songs being limp and uninspired. But putting songs like "Blue Savannah" with its sweeping loveliness, the haunting "Ship of Fools", and the campy, raucous "Love to Hate You" all on the same disc shows that when Erasure is on, they shine like a thousand-carat tiara. The energetic and electronic disco is front and centre here with "Oh L'Amour" and the audience participation number "Stop!", but the beautifully crafted "Sometimes" shows the band's true potential. The irrepressible melody line is punctuated by an acoustic riff and a melancholy trumpet solo that actually has to do its best to keep up with Bell's warm lament. An indispensable collection. -Steve Gdula A singles band if ever there was one, the hits on Pop make the duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke of Erasure sound like the Rogers & Hammerstein of synth-pop disco. With the exception of The Circus and The Innocents albums, most of Erasure's full lengths house only a few brief moments of brilliance, the rest of the songs being limp and uninspired. But putting songs like "Blue Savannah" with its sweeping loveliness, the haunting "Ship of Fools," and the campy, raucous "Love to Hate You" all on the same disc shows that when Erasure is on, they shine like a thousand-carat tiara. The energetic and electronic disco is front and center here with "Oh L'Amour" and the audience participation number "Stop!," but the beautifully crafted "Sometimes" shows the band's true potential. [+]

Emotionally and musically intense, Little Earthquakes shows that the piano is as much a rock & roll instrument as the guitar. Tori Amos's debut (if one disregards Y Kant Tori Read, as one would be well advised to do) is at once listenable and challenging; she takes on every topic, from sex to gender to religion, in an uncompromising manner. Her music appears gentle at first but this appearance is deceiving, as one quickly learns upon listening to the wrenching "Crucify" or the almost violent "Precious Things". By the time the album gets around to "Me and a Gun", sung hauntingly by Amos without accompaniment from her piano, the juxtaposition of Amos's sweet voice and the emotional complexity of her lyrics is both familiar and shocking. Sandman fans should listen for a reference to author Neil Gaiman in "Tear in Your Hand". -Genevieve Williams.

Following on from 1997's My Way, 8701 crowns Usher's position as R&B man of the moment. Never mind the hype about Michael Jackson, Wacko is going to have some serious competition in years to come. Usher is a rap singer and dance man with a twist. Rather than being R&B record designed by committee, every track on 8701 pulsates with the sense of a life lived, a strongly personal point of view-from the street slang of "Pop Ya Collar", to the nostalgic groove "U-Turn" ("I had a hot flat top/. the sound was Bobby Brown"), to the song "If U Want To", where Usher sings: "I can take you from your man", with vulnerability rather than braggadocio. Though cowritten and produced with a variety of names, including She'kspere and The Neptunes, the solid hip-hop undertow comes courtesy of Jermaine Dupri. Mixing slow jams with edgy beats and sweet melody, Usher has pulled off a triumph. -Lucy O'Brien.

The delightful pairing of Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters headlines the 1974 cast of Mack and Mabel. Despite a distinguished pedigree of composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, director Gower Champion, and producer David Merrick, the show ran only 66 performances on Broadway due to an unwieldy and tragic plot about the doomed romance of silent-movie maven Mack Sennett, creator of the Keystone Kops (Preston), and star Mabel Normand (Peters)-which won't prevent you from enjoying this CD. Herman's score evokes the old silents (the banjo is particularly welcome), and the songs include "When Mabel Comes in the Room" (a welcoming song that is a direct descendant of Herman's "Hello Dolly"), the sprightly "Tap Your Troubles Away," Peters's defiant "Wherever He Ain't," and "Time Heals Everything," a gorgeous ballad that Peters subsequently made into a staple of her solo performances. Both Preston and Peters were nominated for Tony Awards, as was the show. The CD includes extensive production notes and a synopsis, but no lyrics. -David Horiuchi.

How much better, you could be forgiven for wondering, could Let It Be be? The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is "a bit". Let It Be, while obviously better than almost everything ever recorded by anyone else, was compromised by the fact that the Beatles were disintegrating as a unit during the recording sessions, the rancour most famously illustrated by John Lennon calling in Phil Spector behind Paul McCartney's back to rework "The Long and Winding Road". Let It Be. Naked, then, is the album as the Beatles would have heard it while they were making it. The tracklisting on this version of Let It Be differs slightly from the original-there's no "Maggie Mae" or "Dig It", while "Don't Let Me Down" has been added. The rest of the songs, shorn of Spector's decorative flourishes, confirm that although the Beatles were having occasional difficulty speaking to each other during these sessions, there was no problem about playing together. The only two minor quibbles are that "The Long and Winding Road" is still McCartney at his most saccharine, and that any Beatles version of "Across the Universe" is never going to hold a candle to that by Laibach. -Andrew Mueller.

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.