Robbie Williams was a teenage pop star in the U. K. as a member of Take That (think New Kids on the Block); his first solo album, Life Thru a Lens, tanked-until the single "Angels" was released and became a mega-hit. His follow-up album, I've Been Expecting You, spawned more hits-"Millennium," "Let Me Entertain You"-and, somewhat unexpectedly, transformed Williams from prefab pop star to artist. The Ego Has Landed, his U. S. debut, collects songs from his two prior British releases and lives up to the hype. Though he's still somewhat prefabricated, borrowing wholesale from Oasis (whose Liam Gallagher was an idol of Williams's), George Michael, the Pet Shop Boys (whose Neil Tennant cowrote and sings backup on "No Regrets"), and even Tom Jones, Williams injects plenty of his own personality-brash and bold but rarely bratty. He's a born entertainer, plain and simple-"Let Me Entertain You," which would fit in well on Tommy, is plenty campy but only somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and he makes no apologies for it. The one caveat here is that the album is front-loaded, with all of the hits coming in the first half-but there's also a good chance that you won't mind. [+]

Cliff Richard is rock & roll's man who never was. He represents an extraordinary collection of paradoxes: an ability to engender nigh hysterical devotion in demographics not noted for their love of rock & roll, while moving most species of rock fan to tumultuous indifference; a vague bankability as a sex symbol and a personal lifestyle of Christian chastity; above all, a career that has lasted longer than anyone else's and yet had so little influence. It is difficult to believe that music or its attendant culture would be even remotely different today had the young Harry Webb opted for a career in haberdashery. The songs gathered on this compilation will do what Sir Cliff's curious, contradictory career has always done-serve to delight his fans while baffling the population at large. Richard spent the 1970s making music that was either instantly and lastingly forgettable ("Help It Along", "Needing A Friend") or relentlessly, insidiously anthemic ("Power To All Our Friends"). It also includes the song that sums up his extraordinarily successful reconciliation of apparently mutually deleterious impulses: "Devil Woman", in which the abstemious Richard attempts to testify to agonising romantic torment. -Andrew Mueller.

Over the years Van Morrison has steadfastly refused to be categorised. Since 1968's classic Astral Weeks, he has embraced folk, R&B, pop, rock, jazz, blues and gospel. Back in 1988, Van joined The Chieftains on Irish Heartbeat to celebrate his love of traditional music. Later, on The Skiffle Sessions, he returned to the music of his teenage years. Now in partnership with Linda Gail Lewis, sister of piano-pumping Jerry Lee, Van revels in country & western, shot through with a healthy slice of R&B. Highlights include three Hank Williams songs-"Jambalaya", "You Win Again", "Why Don't You Love Me"-and this is a timely reminder that the original Fifties rock & rollers like Jerry Lee Lewis drew as much on white C&W as on black R&B. The lack of original material stops this being vintage Van-amidst the Fats Domino and Bo Diddley covers is just one Van original, the quirky "No Way Pedro"-but this is still a welcome addition to an awesome back catalogue. -Patrick Humphries.

The signs were good. He'd been getting into Neil Young, smoking joints and making pilgrimages to Nick Drake's grave, but nothing could have prepared us for quite such a return to form. The mood was autobiographical, most notably on "Has My Fire Really Gone Out" and the title track-both of which dealt with the writer's block that plagued Weller after The Style Council. And yet, Wild Wood is anything but morose: flutes and sundazed guitars adorn more pastoral moments; "Shadow Of The Sun" takes stock of youthful idealism and finds redemption in the wisdom of years; and "Sunflower" remains a superlative burst of psychedelic powerpop. But more than actual songs, it's the instrumental passages and interconnecting refrains that truly reveal their author's attention to detail-and give Wild Wood an edge over the rest of his solo material. -Peter Paphides.