Guitar-slinging blues mama, erudite songwriter and social activist, Bonnie Raitt has become a veritable institution within American music over her three-decade plus career. This overdue Best of… features some of her greatest hits since she signed up with Capitol in 1989. The songs included date back to her seminal and profile-raising (not to mention multi-Grammy winning) album Nick of Time and through definitive moments from the other five albums she has released with the label. Given Raitt's prolific nature and consistently solid output, it must have been a difficult task narrowing this collection down to just 18 songs, but ultimately it seems to flow well, illustrating that despite her increasingly mainstream status and sound, she has still written some kick-ass blues and rock & roll alongside the sugary ballads and saccharine pop hits. From the doo-wop flavour of "Something to Talk About", through torch songs ("I Can't Make You Love Me", "You", "Lover's Will"), raw blues numbers ("Love Sneaking Up on You", "Love Me Like a Man") and some booty-shaking rock & roll ("Rock Steady", "I Believe I'm in Love with You") this is a passionate and sensitive album, and a must for all Raitt fans. -Paul Sullivan.

So is generally regarded as a peak in Gabriel's recording career, notable both for its solid set of songs and lush yet musically sound production. For Gabriel, who'd put his music in theatrical contexts ever since his days with Genesis, the modern sound of So (co-produced with Daniel Lanois) was itself a dramatic conceit that effectively played off the more organic roots of many of its songs. The album's big hit was "Sledgehammer", the English rocker's somewhat stilted take on the Stax/Volt style of rhythm and blues. Gabriel was much more powerful on his own art- rock songs, such as "Red Rain", which evoked nuclear ruin with its cascading rush of guitars and synthesizers. "Don't Give Up" is perhaps Gabriel's best ballad, with Kate Bush's heavenly second vocal enough to give anybody encouragement. But the song that best exploited So's blend of technology and soul is "In Your Eyes", a beguiling rhythmic tapestry in which Gabriel duets with Youssou N'dour. - John Milward.

HIStory's two CDs (one hits, the other new) were Jackson's attempt to connect his glorious past to a dodgy present and-given it's commercial and artistic performance-cast a shadow on his future. Conceived as his formal coronation as the "King of Pop", HIStory's second disc instead presents Jackson as an epauletted, single-gloved Richard III. By turns paranoid, angry, bitter, sentimental, and, in one instance, possibly anti-Semitic, HIStory was less a collection of songs than a case history. A few tracks-mostly those produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-are sleek, modern pop/soul, but too much of HIStory has the overblown vacuousness of a musician who knows his time is past, but is unsure as to how to react to the situation. -Steven Mirkin HIStory's 2 CDs (one hits, the other new) were Jackson's attempt to connect his glorious past to a dodgy present and-given it's commercial and artistic performance-cast a shadow on his future. Conceived as his formal coronation as the "King of Pop," HIStory's second disc instead presents Jackson as an epauletted, single-gloved Richard III. By turns paranoid, angry, bitter, sentimental, and, in one instance, possibly anti-Semitic, HIStory was less a collection of songs than a case history. A few tracks-mostly those produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-are sleek, modern pop/soul, but too much of HIStory has the overblown vacuousness of a musician who knows his time is past, but is unsure as to how to react to the situation. -Steven Mirkin.

Layla stands as one of a handful of pillars of classic rock. The short-lived ensemble that was the Dominos provided an outlet for Eric Clapton to vent his then unrequited (and secret) passion for the wife of his best friend, George Harrison. Romantic anguish inspired Clapton to write and collect an embroiling and interconnected song cycle. Meanwhile, latecomer Duane Allman prodded Clapton to tear it up on guitar, so as not to be overwhelmed by his even more talented foil. Of course, Clapton eventually won the hand of his lady love. And then he divorced her. Sometimes real life messes up a good plot line. -Steve Stolder.

Artists are always keen to highlight their love of the Rat Pack, either out of respect for their rich, textured vocal delivery or their dangerous, bourbon-filled lifestyle. Westlife are no different and, with. Allow Us to Be Frank, they get to try their hand at some old classics. We've been here before with Robbie William's Swing When You're Winning, but Westlife manage to raise the game above the former's limp effort. The repertoire is extensive, from "Fly Me to the Moon" to "Mack the Knife" and the production, courtesy of long time collaborator Steve Mac, is full and rich with a full 60 piece orchestra behind them. The vocals obviously don't compare (heavyweights such as "My Way" are conspicuous by their absence), but the project manages to avoid karaoke naffness. The motive behind this release, their first since Bryan's departure, probably has its roots in the unexpected success of "Mandy. " If you got a kick out of that, you'll certainly love this. [+]

With 1970's The Man Who Sold the World, David Bowie set aside his pop and singer-songwriter aspirations and headed in a harder-rocking direction. Producer Tony Visconti provided a thick, dense setting with guitarist Mick Ronson playing the role of guitar hero to Bowie's megalomaniac frontman; think Keith Richards and Mick Jagger sprinkled with fairy dust. The new approach flowered on Hunky Dory, but the outline for the master plan is here. The title track, "The Width of a Circle," and "All the Madmen" are essential Bowie, as he slips from cryptic to straightforward, celebratory wordplay. -Rob O'Connor.

Tommy had the dubious distinction of being the first-ever rock opera; however, it's none the worse for that, Ken Russell's adaptation notwithstanding. Due largely to Pete Townshend's skill as a songwriter and composer, Tommy tells a coherent story and includes quality rock and roll at the same time, an impressive feat by itself. While surprisingly more linear than the later Quadrophenia, Tommy boasts several songs that stand up well on their own, including the classic "Pinball Wizard", "The Acid Queen", "I'm Free", and "Sally Simpson". Much of the rest doesn't make much sense lyrically unless you listen to the entire album, but you'll probably want to do that anyway, preferably with the lights low and the stereo cranked. -Genevieve Williams.

Hipper students of 1980s pop might like to pretend that Joy Division and The Smiths had a monopoly on melancholia, but for the older, more suave miserabilist, nothing could match the stylised desolation of Roxy Music's last album. Avalon was recorded in the wake of the band's first number one hit-a version of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy"-and although that song isn't on here, its tortured shadow looms large over "While My Heart Is Still Beating", the title track, and the unlikely Balearic anthem "More Than This". If time has been kind to Bryan Ferry's crumpled Armani chic, it hasn't exactly been vicious to his back catalogue: Avalon sounds even more sumptuous now that the CD age has caught up with Rhett Davis' pristine production. -Peter Paphides.

Their debut made them the new Beatles and Stones rolled into one, and Second Coming was five years in the making. Accordingly, the anticipation was immense, and when the product seemed on first listen to be a very long, very protracted Led Zeppelin guitar solo-courtesy of the excessively well-practised John Squire-The Stone Roses convincingly punctured their own myth. Nevertheless, some of Second Coming is quite good: "Breaking Into Heaven" is appealingly pompous, showing that the Roses at least had a handle on the nature of their own import, and better still, had the ability to pull it off. "Love Spreads" and "Ten Storey Love Song" are imbued with the arrogance-and thankfully the tunes-of old. And the rest? Well, if you've ever heard John Squire's next band, The Seahorses, you'll know what to expect. Seldom has the guitar solo been so accomplished, or so dull. -Louis Pattison.