POP
Bon Jovi
The Circle
(Mercury)
***
The hairstyles are less voluminous than of yore but in every other respect Bon Jovi are the dependable package that has already sold 120 million albums and would like to add a few more. From the opening We Weren't Born to Follow — and what a familiar sentiment that is — the band deliver big anthems and smouldering ballads, heavy on the drums and squawking guitars, uplifting sentiments and the occasional tear in the eye. On Work for the Workingman, Jon Bon Jovi delivers himself of those blue-collar sentiments so beloved of millionaire rock stars and which single him out as the air-brushed Bruce Springsteen. When it comes to stadium-size angst and heartbreak, not to mention the occasional down-home homily, this a group without peer.
PETE CLARK

Julian Casablancas
Phrazes for the Young
(Rough Trade)
****
Following successful side-projects from Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr and drummer Fabrizio Moretti, vocalist Julian Casablancas throws his skinny jeans into the ring. Phrazes for the Young sees the 31-year-old move into more melodic territory, a world away from garage-rock. The opening track, Out of the Blue, aims for the same spirit as Folsom Prison-era Johnny Cash, with Casablancas crooning about “death” and “vengeance” over galloping drums and guitar. The country theme continues on the whisky-laced lament of Ludlow St. It doesn't all work but it is daring and, as with the Strokes, the overall sound is strong and distinct enough to override any concerns about its authenticity.
RICK PEARSON

Joss Stone
Colour Me Free!
(EMI)
**
Poor Joss Stone, stuffed into a cage on the cover of her fourth album, wailing, “Free me EMI” at the close of the opening track, Free Me. Like Prince and George Michael before her, she's another creative free spirit enslaved by The Man.
As a result of a falling out with her label, with whom she says she now has “no working relationship”, this release has been delayed since last spring and is coming out with little fanfare, almost certain to become her second flop in a row. The strangest thing is her insistence that this one shows the real Stone, as its overly polished, faux-retro soul is almost indistinguishable from the earlier work with which she claims unhappiness.
DAVID SMYTH

Sparks
The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman
(Lil' Beethoven)
****
After 22 albums, most bands are coasting to the pipe and slippers. Sparks, however, are not as others. Right now, it's hard to think of a braver act. Initially commissioned by Swedish radio, The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman is a radio musical that imagines the notoriously Eurocentric Swedish film director being tempted by Hollywood. It all ends with an action-movie style chase and Greta Garbo sauntering down the street. The story may have its roots in magical realism but it's exquisitely delivered, with cheeky nods to the Mael brothers' back catalogue, a mind-boggling variety of styles from electro to classical, and that touch of genius that seeps through every Sparksian endeavour. Fearlessly brilliant and brilliantly fearless.
JOHN AIZLEWOOD

JAZZ
Basil Hodge
Sound Reasoning
(Zeal)
****
Since his raw 2003 debut album, Basil Hodges has grown into a pianist and composer of substance and originality. Though classically trained, he's not interested in icy technical brilliance. Instead he weaves sonorous, thoughtful ideas, articulated with a proper jazz touch. His tuneful neo-bop themes — Vindication, Intimacy and The Bigger Picture — give his quintet, notably trumpeter Fulvio Sigurta, plenty of nourishment. And how mature of him not even to solo on the title track, a feature for Tony Kofi's baritone sax. Add dream-team bassist Larry Bartley and drummer Winston Clifford, and enjoyment is guaranteed.
JACK MASSARIK

WORLD
Pink Martini
Splendour in the Grass
(Wrasse)
***
Pink Martini have always inhabited some uncategorisable territory between cocktail lounge, maverick songwriting and an eclectic variety of global sounds. Their vocalist China Forbes is a charismatic performer and, with two million album sales and slick live concerts, they've found a loyal audience. Despite some impressive guests such as Mexican singer Chavela Vargas bringing a 90-year-old gravitas to Piensa En Mi and the typically Pink Martini classic And Then You're Gone, this fourth album spends too much time in the cocktail lounge. It sounds more like pastiche than a band with something of their own to say.
SIMON BROUGHTON