Few albums this year will be better titled. As with the other-worldly Angel Standing By from her multi-million selling debut album Pieces Of You Jewel's much-anticipated follow-up furrows into the spiritworld from its first track, Deep World, to its last, Absence Of Fear. And it is just as beautiful, just as poetic, in the purest possible sense. Indeed, given that no tracks here are "live", the mood of prayerful intimacy remains unbroken, which is probably why the album sleeve contains an image of Jewel's hands crossed, as if in prayer. Some may find the lyricism of songs such as A Life Too Uncommon too precious to be true but, to me, this is the album Jewel's debut aspired to be, a collection of songs that reaffirms her position as one of the most potent talents in pop.

Joe Jackson

John Lennon: "Wonsaponatime - Selections from Lennon Anthology" (Capitol)

With three Beatles anthologies in the past three years, not to mention last year's Lennon Legend, you'd think the hunger for all things Fab would have been sated by now. The release of the new, four-CD Lennon Anthology proves that interest hasn't waned, but more accessible is this 21-track, condensed history of Lennon's solo career. Even so, you have to disregard much self-indulgence to reach the unrefined rock energy of I'm Losing You, the unpolished spit of Working Class Hero and How Do You Sleep, and the rough grace of Imagine and Nobody Loves You When You're Down And Out.

Kevin Courtney

Oasis: "The Masterplan" (Creation)

After the bombast of Be Here Now, it's nice to be reminded of what made Oasis so special, and this b-sides collection shows why they were truly the people's band for the 1990s. Noel Gallagher often put some of his best songs on the b-sides of the band's singles, and sometimes they really shone in the half-light, particularly Acquiesce, Rockin' Chair and Stay Young. This is really Noel's album, and his vocals are prominent on tunes such as Talk Tonight, Half The World Away and The Masterplan, while Liam does a sterling rock 'n' roll drawl on Fade Away, Listen Up and a live version of The Beatles' I Am The Walrus. Who knows what will happen next in the Oasis masterplan, but this collection should keep them fondly in our minds while they're temporarily out of sight.

Kevin Courtney