Like so many before him, the Verve's ex-frontman Richard Ashcroft is destined to be the victim of his own success. That the Verve's final album, the universally applauded Urban Hymns, with its down-tempo laments and thoughtful lyrics captured a space in time and was taken to a nation's hearts, makes it a tough act to follow, even for the man who was the creative force behind the Verve. And Richard Ashcroft's solo debut Alone With Everybody doesn't really compare at all. The thoughtful country-tinged ballads "Brave New World" and "I Get My Beat"-strummed acoustics, melancholic strings and lyrics that run like a conversation with himself-confirm Ashcroft's ability to pen a captivating melody. Meanwhile, singles "A Song For The Lovers" and "Money To Burn"-positively up-beat by his standards-may not be as emotive or touch the same nerve as Urban Hymns' "The Drugs Don't Work", "Lucky Man" or "Bitter Sweet Symphony", but they're still infectious. And the eerie atmosphere and raw edge of "New York" reassure that there's more to him than plodding, sentimental acoustic tunes. The Verve would never have pulled off an Urban Hymns Volume II, which is why their leading light has been wise not to try to either. -Dan Gennoe.

Rank 'em how you like, Rubber Soul is an undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four's varied discography no matter where, or how, you first heard it. So many classics: "Drive My Car" and "Nowhere Man" merge the early combustible Beatifics to a burgeoning studio consciousness; "The Word" can be read as a pre-psych warning shot; the sitar-laden "Norwegian Wood" and the evocative "Girl" (the latter written on the last night of the sessions) stand as turning points in John Lennon's oeuvre. George finally emerges too, with the McGuinn-ish "If I Needed Someone". -Don Harrison.

By far Jane's Addiction's best album, Ritual De Lo Habitual is chock full of songs that are both catchy and experimental. The singles "Stop" and "Been Caught Stealing" are good examples; "No One's Leaving" has a nice funk edge with some busy guitar work, and "Ain't No Right" and "Obvious" are strong as well. Unfortunately, "Three Days" and "Then She Did. " are overlong and get bogged down well short of halfway through, but the album finishes strongly with "Of Course" and "Classic Girl". Jane's Addiction's funk-punk-rock mix is appealing, and never more so than on this album. -Genevieve Williams.

Tracking the 30-year career of The Partridge Family's greatest star, Then and Now is a comprehensive compendium of the tunes which set the world alight from the early 1970s onwards. Ranging from the three-minute Partridge pop nuggets of "I Think I Love You" and "I Woke Up In Love This Morning" to solo hits such as "Cherish" and "Rock Me Baby", it's easy to hear why Cassidy's sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Surprisingly there are some notable exclusions on Then and Now such as "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted," and "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do". Thankfully the pulsating 1985 comeback song "The Last Kiss" is included. The later part of the collection includes more recent material such as "Sheltered In My Arms" where Dave drops his usual Cliff Richard style vocals in favour of those resembling Rick Astley, and "Ricky's Tune" a Faithless style trip-hop track proving that he's still just as much "now" as "then". "No Bridge I Wouldn't Cross" is another new production that coincidentally was written by Simon Climie (aka Climie Fisher) and Lulu. In an attempt to woo the kids again there's also a rather feeble version of "Could It Be Forever", re-recorded with pop stars Hear'Say. Apart from this slightly shaky ending an essential collection for fans, and an excellent introduction to the work of one of teeny-pop's first pin-ups. -John Galilee.

Elvis: '68 Comeback Special shows how, isolated from his original audience after a long sojourn on Hollywood soundstages, and threatened by the vibrancy and social gravity of rock, the King sought to reclaim his throne. This was filmed five years before he achieved broadcast history with his legendary 1973 global satellite telecast, Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, but more than three decades later, it's Comeback Special that looms as the Memphis icon's most substantial achievement as a stage performer. If the candy-coloured sets and hyperactive choreography of its larger production numbers smack of its network packagers' desperation to be hip, Elvis himself rises to a riveting, assured performance at the peak of his powers. Looking fit and relaxed, and sheathed in black leather, Elvis covers a shrewd song list encompassing early rockabilly hits, gospel (rendered unintentionally hilarious by its florid dance routines) and comparatively restrained ballads. Standout performances include two intimate stage sets that put him literally within his fans' reach, most strikingly in a brief reunion with four of his earliest bandmates (including guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer DJ Fontana). The latter segment is only a brief sample of a session posthumously released on video as One Night with You, which is, if anything, even better than this terrific portrait of a towering American artist. -Sam Sutherland.

We Love Life­-produced by Scott Walker-is best thought of as the calm after the storm. Pulp's previous album, 1997's This Is Hardcore was the kind of record often made by intelligent and sensitive people who become famous after a lifetime assuming that being famous was what they wanted. Like Radiohead's The Bends, Elvis Costello's This Year's Model, Nirvana's In Utero or most of the solo albums of Scott Walker, This Is Hardcore was twitchy, disgusted, nauseous and distinctly uneasy listening. In contrast, We Love Life is by far the most musically benign album Pulp have been responsible for, emphasising a fondness for string arrangements and gently building melodies that have only been intermittently discernible before now (see "Something Changed" or "Live Bed Show" from Different Class). New songs such as "Bad Cover Version" and "The Trees" are among the most luxuriant Pulp have recorded; having the peerless balladeer Walker in the studio can't have hurt on this front. There is no blunting of the edge in Jarvis Cocker's voice or words, fortunately, even if he seems less concerned with himself these days than previously: opening track "Weeds" seems a touching and courageous hymn of admiration to asylum seekers. -Andrew Mueller.

Since her 1993 debut, Tuesday Night Music Club, Sheryl Crow has been churning out unassailably appealing CDs in an unassailably appealing voice. Which means, according to the rules of the pop music cosmos, by album six it's about time for a misstep. Natural law, fortunately, will have to keep checking its watch. Wildflower moves Sheryl Crow one step closer to Hall of Fame status as she shunts the established rock star's impulse to get all experimental, but instead sprawls, rambling rose-like, across the substance-spiked pop landscape she helped pioneer. Three ingredients, glistening vocals, flawless production, and catchy songs rub up against one another in all the right places. These ingredients will cause you to hold your breath on the beautiful piano ballad "Always on Your Side. " They pop up again on the George Harrison-esque "Where Has All the Love Gone" reminding you that Crow can reflect and reveal as convincingly as she can rock. If there is a ripple that runs through Wildflower, it's a pensive one. On the spacy "Chances Are," she sings of being ". [+]