Celine Dion: "Let's Talk About Love" (Epic).

Not the album for the morning after the office Christmas party. Indeed, listening to Celine and Barbra Streisand bellow forth with Tell Him is like facing two full force hurricanes at the same time, backed by a cyclone of musicians pumping forward what really does deserve to be called power pop. The power of this album is undeniable, even if now and then one aches to hear the ever-sonorous Celine whisper instead of scream. That said, her sense of attack in an anthem such as Treat Her Like A Lady is perfect. Likewise, I Hate You Then I Love You, where her high C sailing partner is none other than Luciano Pavarotti. Shirley Bassey got there first but this really is magnificent melodrama set to music, as are many of the 16 songs on Let's Talk About Love. Celine will no doubt dominate the charts way into the New Year.

By Joe Jackson

Finbar Wright: "I Give My Heart" (Columbia).

This ain't the time of the year to take on the Pope, right? So if Il Papa says that Finbar Wright has been "blessed with a very special gift" I'm not about to argue with that. On this album Finbar applies his "special gift" to music from "myriad cultures" such as La Bamba, Volare and Blame It On The Bossa Nova, all of which are too light to sustain the weight of his talent. Or vice versa. Someone To Watch Over Me sits less well on his lips than classical tunes such as Jerusalem and The Pearl Fishers' Duet. Even better are "Irish" songs like Sweet Sixteen, which are steeped in the kind of sentiment, and sentimentality, which defines this album. It will sell by the sleigh-load over Christmas.

Joe Jackson

`L': "Fire In A Dream Cage" (Hue Records)

On her second album, the young Irishwoman with the one-letter name moves gracefully through many styles, from jazz to trip-hop to avant-garde, maintaining a strong, soothing presence throughout. Produced by arch-experimentalist Stano, and featuring a diverse crew of musicians: Peter Roycroft on piano, Richie Buckley on sax, and Colm O'Ciosoig from My Bloody Valentine on drums, Fire In A Dream Cage takes you into a world of ethereal substance. `L' shapes many different visions with songs such as The Darkness, 500 Moods and Songs In The Wind. In lesser hands the whole thing could float away in a New Age breeze, but `L' (real name Denise) and Stano seem to have a very firm grasp of their craft.

Kevin Courtney