Latest releases reviewed

JOANNA NEWSOM
Ys
Drag City
****

Scope and scale are just the start of things when it comes to considering the stunning second album from Californian folk singer and harpist Joanna Newsom. If her 2004 entrance, The Milk-Eyed Mender, caused a wow with its parade of leftfield sunbeams and swoons, Ys has five lengthy narrative gems with which to capture the eye and ear. Here, Newsom really lets her imagination fly towards baroque, gothic and even medieval terrain. While there's off-screen aid from Steve Albini, Jim O'Rourke and Van Dyke Parks (as well as on-mic assistance from her beau, Bill "Smog" Callahan), this is really Newsom's game. Each track is textured and vibrant, containing a rich wash of lyrical colour, sound and nuances to reel the listener in. As you follow her twisted rhymes, it's Newsom's voice that really highlights and emphasises the drama in these elaborate, extended fables. A brave, unique and utterly magical affair. www.dragcity.com - Jim Carroll

GEORGE MICHAEL
Twenty Five
Sony/BMG
***

Twenty-five years of George Michael might be two and half decades too much for some people, but there has rarely been so successful (and so controversial) a British pop star; over 20 Top 10 UK hits in just a shade over 20 years is a damned good innings in anyone's book. Michael has also managed the kind of career twist that has tied other pop stars in knots: the not inconsiderable feat of successfully making the transition from teen pop star heartthrob (as a member of Wham!) to a staple of in-car entertainment grooves and After-Eights dinner table gossip. This three-disc set, sectioned into "For Living", "For Loving" and "For Loyal", covers all bases: from Wham!'s shuttlecock pop of Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Freedom and Last Christmas to Michael's soothing blend of soul/pop/funk via tracks such as Faith, Careless Whisper, Jesus to a Child and Outside. The Greatest Hits fight to the top of the Christmas charts starts here. - Tony Clayton-Lea

ANNUALS
Be He Me
Ace Fu
****

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, Be He Me is an album much more alive to the possibility of the moment than its creators probably realised. Hailing from North Carolina, Annuals have enjoyed much blog love of late for their effortlessly on-point indie stylings (while also unleashing a string of inevitable comparisons). But it's quickly apparent that these six youngsters do possess the wherewithal for a longer run on the pitch. Indeed, the manner in which they handle Brother's euphoric transformation from a whisper to a scream and the way they tap the psychedelic power inherent in other tunes are hugely telling. There's much to admire in frontman Adam Baker's focus on trying to tell his tale without abandoning himself to the frenzy and fury which the other Annuals are making. Whether it's the structured emotional drag of Dry Clothes or the more broody notes of Father, this is a debut which you should be happy to fall in step with. www.acefu.com - Jim Carroll

THE CHARLATANS
Forever - The Singles
Island
****

The Charlatans were the bridesmaid of baggy and Britpop, playing second fiddle to The Stone Roses and standing in the shadow of Oasis. But the Mancunians have swaggered ahead through sheer self-belief. If these days they sound like a second-rate Rolling Stones, at least they've set the bar a bit higher for themselves. This singles collection takes us chronologically through the band's evolution from baggy psychedelia (Indian Rope, Weirdo, The Only One I Know) to existential indie (One to Another, How High, North Country Boy) to their latterday rocks-off boogie (Impossible, Love Is the Key, A Man Needs to Be Told). They've endured the death of keyboard player Rob Collins, changed their name for the US market for legal reasons, and have seen superstardom elude them but, as this defiantly confident collection amply illustrates, they've never succumbed to an inferiority complex. www.thecharlatans.net - Kevin Courtney

SUGABABES
Overloaded - The Singles Collection
Island
****

Bananarama ruled the 1980s, The Spice Girls dominated the 1990s, but it's Sugababes who have taken the Noughties and given them a good, sound spanking. The most successful girl group of the 21st century have clocked up 16 hits since 2000, beating Britney, Madonna and Kylie; amazingly, they've managed to maintain sour pusses when other girls would be giggling with glee. They may be the youngest curmudgeons in pop, but there's no arguing with the quality of the tunes, which include the now-classic Overload, the electro mash-up of Freak Like Me, the slinky Red Dress, the swirling Round Round and the knob-fiddling Push the Button. Their latest single, Easy, keeps up the standard, with its catchy mix of modern pop moves, 1980s synths and cheeky lines straight out of Viz comic. When Sugababes finally hit 30 and retire, they may look back proudly at some of the best girl-pop of its day. Perhaps they'll crack a smile. www.sugababes.com  - Kevin Courtney