POP
Dizzee Rascal
Maths & English (XL Recordings)
****
The third album from the UK's most successful rapper represents a major step forward. At its best, Dizzee Rascal's latest work has aspirations far beyond the grime scene, reaching back to its hip hop roots. Where's Da G's is a clear example, its rolling beat and menacing synth bass owing a debt to the US Dirty South rap; Texan legends Pimp C and Bun B join him, their drawls contrasting with his guttural, stop-start flow. Pussy 'Ole is duller: a tirade aimed at former associate Wiley, while Wanna Be, a duet with Lily Allen, is embarrassing. Sirens, however, is one of this excellent album's finest moments, using the old Run DMC technique of heavy rock samples over sparse drum machine beats. Its lyrics of casual violence inflicted on innocent Londoners hit disturbingly close to home. CHRIS ELWELL-SUTTON

Marc Almond
Stardom Road (Sequel)
***
Now recovered from his near-fatal motorbike crash of 2004, Marc Almond has finally returned to work, albeit only after relearning how to sing. Perhaps understandably, with the exception of the life-affirming Redeem Me (Beauty Will Redeem The World), he's taken the autobiography-via-cover-versions route, tipping his hat towards Al Stewart (Bedsitter Images), Frank Sinatra (Strangers in the Night) and, on the gripping I Have Lived, the underrated Charles Aznavour. The thrillingly arranged results, even the torchy duet with Antony Hegarty on The Ballad of the Sad Young Men, bristle with renewed life. Indeed, when he skips through the ever-glorious Happy Heart, it sounds like he's never felt better. Let's hope that's the case. JOHN AIZLEWOOD

Mutya Buena
Real Girl Universal Island)
***
With Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse around, is there room for one more big mouth and spiky attitude in the charts? Buena, the owner of the most characterful voice in the Sugababes, has every chance as a solo artist, though her debut is a mixed bag. Real Girl flits between styles, often coming up trumps, as on the fizzing synthpop of her collaboration with Groove Armada, Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) and the stop-start beats and horns of Not Your Baby. However, it opts too often for dreary, schmaltzy trad soul, as on Suffer for Love. Co-opting Winehouse to sing backing vocals on a reworking of the Ronettes' Be My Baby is the move most likely to ensure some chart action, which should leave her safe to discover a personality of her own come album number two. DAVID SMYTH

JAZZ
Abbey Lincoln
Abbey Sings Abbey (Verve/Universal Records)
****
For those who expect their jazz singers to possess a unique timbre, the departure of Shirley Horn passes the greatestlivingvocalist crown to reclusive Abbey Lincoln. Her voice, while unmistakeably personal, carries the same bluesy texture and total emotional commitment of a royal line going back to Billie Holiday and beyond. She's also a fine composer whose bittersweet songs have a strong identity. Warmly backed by a group featuring cellist Dave Eggar, accordionist Gil Goldstein and Larry Campbell on mandolin and various guitars, she sounds contentedly sad. Throw It Away, with its great line "you can never lose a gift if it belongs to you" is here, plus Being Me, Learning How to Listen, Love has Gone Away and an elegant version of Blue Monk.
JACK MASSARIK

WORLD
Andy Palacio
Watina (Cumbacha)
****
Andy Palacio, from Belize, is the musical whirlwind at the heart of the 250,000 strong Garifuna community. These people are descended from slaves who were shipwrecked in 1635 and after wars between the British and the French ended up on the Caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Palacio orginated the community's popular punta rock, but here he's working in a more traditional style with the Garifuna Collective of musicians, young and old. The album features a laid-back guitar style over a rich bed of African-style percussion and lilting vocals in a language that's under threat. It sounds much more West African than anything else you'll hear from central America. Palacio and the Garifuna Collective play at Cargo on 19 June.
SIMON BROUGHTON