Latest releases reviewed

PHARRELL
In My Mind Star
Trak/Virgin
**

Poor Pharrell Williams. The producer who is 50 per cent of The Neptunes (and one-third of N*E*R*D) was once the most popular boy in the rock/pop/ hip-hop class. But the arrival of Kanye West has changed the pecking order, especially as Pharrell's surefire ability to produce innovative hits has wavered of late. Originally due for release last December, this debut solo album was yanked from the schedules for additional studio tinkering, something that happened too with N*E*R*D's In Search Of . . . debut. On this occasion, however, there's little to suggest that the extra time was worth taking. Besides a clutch of superfly beats, some superstar assistance (the aforementioned Mr West and Jay-Z bolstering Pharrell's verbal skills) and a couple of moments of minor-key genius (although Can I Have It Like That? does sound rather dated), there's really little here to elvate In My Mind into the limelight. Time for Pharrell to do some wheel reinventing. www.pharrellwilliams.com - Jim Carroll

ONEIDA
Happy New Year
Rough Trade
****

Eight albums in and Brooklynites Oneida show no signs of comformity, proving they're as genre-elusive as ever. Oneida are just as happy peddling piano-led incantations (Thank Your Parents) as spacey garage rock (You Can Never Tell), while leaving room for an Indian Punji, krautrock synths, mandolins and Fat Bobby's soft harmonics. On top of their past spooky folk/psychedelic template comes the post-rock electro throb of The Adversary and Up with People, cementing a new edginess, possibly provided by the arrival of Trans-Am's Phil Manley to the line-up. The album sails along on heavy keys and guitars before the wind drops and we're back to folk anthems such as Busy Little Bee and the acoustic trip of Reckoning. Whether it's these soft edges or the dark centres, it's a rock solid effort. www.enemyhogs.com/  - Sinéad Gleeson

EVON BRENNAN
Small Mercies
Redcliff Records
***

Nothing but the same old story? Evon Brennan is a product of the Irish religious care system of some decades ago, and her debut album is a stark reminder that certain wounds refuse to heal. Dedicated to the girls of Banada Abbey and to "all those who have had their childhood stolen", Small Mercies is an album of occasional deep beauty and pain; its songs are cloaked in the subversive folds of intermittently perfect (if mournful) pop music, equal parts elegant, evocative and eerie. The record as a whole fails to lift off due to some songs weakened by poor arrangements, but in parts it's a successful mixture of warm confessional, merciless memoir and rigorous self-psychotherapy. Tony Clayton-Lea

CHRIS STILLS
Chris Stills
V2
****

With a surname like Stills, Chris can hardly deny his lineage. Stephen Stills (of CSNY) might be his daddy, but this is one second generationer who hasn't opted for X-ing his way through the planet. Stills is a likeable cross between Jeff Buckley and The Byrds (with just a shot of Gallagher and Lyle's flakiness), and he takes a delicious left turn into his mother tongue of French for a handful of original songs on his second solo album, propelling that entire genre into the 21st century (from the twilight zone of sodden Gainsbourgian cabaret where it's languished). He's got a beguiling delight in pastoral lyrics that betray years of exposure to West Coast ramblings, but that's partly what marks Stills out as one apart. Sparkly, summery, unkempt music. Catch it if you can.

www.v2.fr/chrisstills/  - Siobhán Long