The ill will that initially greeted Rattle and Hum-the follow-up to the band's massively successful Joshua Tree album-was due in large part to the bloated and self-important feature film that accompanied it, which showed the band as being simultaneously naive and pretentious as it "discovered" America. But as the film mercifully slips from memory, the music has remained, from the furious swirl of "Desire" and a clutch of live hits to insightful musical nods to heroes such as Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Billie Holiday. Songs like "When Love Comes to Town", a supercharged blues duet with B. B. King, suggests the quartet knew more about America from listening to its music than Phil Joanou's unintentional mockumentary suggested. -Daniel Durchholz.

Global A Go-Go, Joe Strummer's second album with the The Mescaleros following 1999's Rock Art and The X-Ray Style mines the same concerns that have always inspired his music. "Johnny Appleseed" and "Cool 'n' Out" centre on Joe's brash eruptive guitar but hark back to his pre-punk folk busking roots, with lyrics anchored by a strong sense of indignation and social commitment. Strummer may pride himself as an original punk warlord, but he realises punk can only thrive by rejoicing in Britain's ever-vibrant multicultural melting pot as he does on "Bhindi Bagee" and the Arabic inflected refugee requiem "Shaktar Donetsk". His longstanding fascination with dub reggae fuels "At the Border, Guy", while the Marconi saluting title track celebrates the power of radio to present new worlds and unite communities. On "Mondo Bongo" he dispenses with his trademark bark for a lovely ballad laced with pre-Clash accomplice Tymon Dogg's lonesome violin. This is real anger with a big warm heart; maturity suits Strummer just fine. -Gavin Martin.

He's tried his hand at indie-rock, big-band swing and brash pop music-so where does Robbie Williams' fifth album take the popular British entertainer? Escapology is far removed from his previous albums: it's a serious attempt to make something as credible as it is accessible-so no more bubble-gum wonders such as "Rock DJ" or "Kids". Robbie has now matured and makes adult-orientated rock or middle-of-the road pop music. Lead single "Feel" is standard adult-pop fare that one might expect from the likes of Phil Collins or David Gray; it's redeemed, however, by Robbie's noticeably heartfelt vocals-though perhaps not the best singer in the world, you can tell he means every word he sings. The highlight of Escapology is the gigantically epic ballad "Love Somebody" in which his voice is pushed to its very limits and is pitched over a lush backdrop of brooding strings and a rousing gospel choir. Unquestionably the ballads reign supreme-the heavier rock numbers are large and impressively produced with a cheesy touch of soul, filled with brash horns and pub-rock arrangements in what feels like an attempt to follow Oasis but ends up being more like Toploader. Robbie's lyrical content is still very personal and much of it harps on about what a hard time he has being a pop star ("How Peculiar" and "Something Beautiful"). To fit his new mature style, there is less self parody, although his sense of humour and wry observations do shine though on "Handsome Man" and the catchy but silly "Me & My Monkey". Last but not least, the first track written entirely by Robbie himself, "Nan's Song" is a simple and moving tribute to his late grandmother. Although by far not the best on the album, Robbie will probably take comfort in that, firstly, it's good enough to be on the album and, secondly, it's better than Liam Gallagher's first effort. -David Trueman.

Opinion varies as to which seminal slab of the Pixies back-catalogue is the greatest. Those who think the perfect breakfast is a cup of black coffee and cigarette rate the earlier Surfer Rosa and Doolittle; whilst those who think breakfast should consist of cake prefer the laterBossanova and Trompe Le Monde. It's not as if the Pixies suddenly turned into the Bangles, though. Black Francis still yowls like a Second World War fought out entirely between battalions of cougars; and "Down To The Well" isn't anything other than extreme arse-kicking. But with the endlessly magnificent "Velouria" and as-hitty-as-the-Pixies-were-going-to-get hit single "Dig For Fire", the Pixies had learnt to use their heat and power to make crowns and coronets, not just cannon and shell. When Nirvana's Kurt Cobain wrote "Teen Spirit", he claimed he was "just trying to rip off a Pixies' song". These are the ones he was trying to rip off. -Caitlin Moran.

"I remember", said OCS singer Simon Fowler in a 1996 interview, "when we were dropped, our old label boss said there were no potential singles on the demo tape we'd just given him. One of the songs on that tape was "The Day We Caught The Train". " You can't blame the boy for gloating. When the Birmingham quartet recorded Moseley Shoals in their tiny home studio, there wasn't a label that wanted them. Perhaps that's why Fowler-one of Britain's most under-recognised lyricists -sounds like a man with nothing to lose on "The Circle" and the aching "It's My Shadow". R&B driven hits such as "The Riverboat Song" and "You've Got It Bad" paint a slightly misleading picture. In fact, there's a pastoral poignancy to much of Moseley Shoals which owes more to, say, Fairport Convention than mentor/mate Paul Weller. -Peter Paphides.

Ostensibly, you wouldn't imagine South Wales' croaky-voiced crooner and a voluminous Texan called Meat would have much reason to share an album. Common to both of them though, is the songwriting genius of Jim Steinman-a man whose aptitude for hysterically overwrought melodrama knows no parallel this side of Andrew Lloyd-Webber. Bonnie's "Holding Out For A Hero" is about as close as we get here to the kind of pop song that might go unnoticed in a crowd. The same, of course, can't be said for "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" which manages to make feeling a bit horny sound as gigantically ominous as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Perhaps inevitably, it's Meat who steals the show: "Bat Out Of Hell and "I'll Do Anything For Love" are tattooed on the folk psyche. It is, however, a delight to be reacquainted with "Dead Ringer For Love"-the scintillating mini-opera which, lest we forget, introduced Cher to a whole new generation of salivating adolescents. -Peter Paphides.

This Icelandic marvel is such an original that, even after four Sugarcubes albums and a brilliant solo Debut, she remains an acquired taste. "Army of Me" is a turbulent, darkling tune that's almost conventional next to the gloriously eclectic material that follows. Working with Tricky, Soul II Soul/U2 producer Nellee Hooper, and string arranger/one-hit wonder Deodato, Björk looses her helium-fuelled voice and surreal wordplay on Gershwinesque pop (the adorable "It's Oh So Quiet"), ambient dub ("Possibly Maybe") and all kinds of fresh dance/pop hybrids ("Enjoy", "Hyper-Ballad", "I Miss You"). Too raw and adventurous for mass success, perhaps, but a more unique, engaging, and oddly accessible artist just doesn't exist. -Jeff Bateman.

With the "classic" Fleetwood Mac and departed guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer a fading memory, namesakes and rhythm section Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John McVie (bass), along with second generation survivor Christine McVie (vocals, keyboards), let go of their British blues heritage and linked with a failed Californian pop-rock duo, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. That move, born of desperation, yields this 1975 classic: unveiling a taut, well-oiled pop rock band boasting three distinctive singers and songwriters in Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie; Buckingham's extraordinary arrangements and versatile acoustic and electric guitars; and the undeniable horsepower of the founding fathers' rock-solid rhythm work. Buckingham's rave-ups, Nicks's sultry rock ballads, and Christine McVie's soulful, sunny pop form the template for Rumours, which would follow two years later. -Sam Sutherland.