The Kooks return with a catchy album but it fails to give depth, I Am Kloot deliver classic pop and Norma Winstone strives for excellence with a serene tone.

POP

THE KOOKS
Konk(Virgin)
**
While Arctic Monkeys stole all the hype and awards in 2006, Brighton’s Kooks sneakily sold two million copies of their debut album, Inside In/Inside Out. Their breezy indie pop was an unchallenging pleasure, but it was obvious they wished to be taken more seriously. Their solution here is to keep the tunes and beef up the electric guitars, which works fine on Down to the Market and the energetic single Always Where I Need to Be, though Luke Pritchard’s smooth voice frequently strains towards aggression and falls short. Simplistic lyrics (he endlessly asks, “Do you wanna make love to me?” on Do You Wanna, and even sings the alphabet on One Last Time) fail to give the depth the band strive for. They’re still catchy, but greater significance eludes them. DAVID SMYTH

I AM KLOOT
I Am Kloot Play Moolah Rouge(Skinny Dog Records)
****
These Mancunians have been ploughing a long and lonely furrow since the turn of the century without attracting an enormous amount of attention. The reason is, despite the cute name, they have an unassuming quality that does not easily translate into brash headlines. They have a basic three-piece line-up, occasionally augmented by extra guitars and keyboards, and deal in emotionally charged pop music, characterised by the yearning vocals of Johnny Bramwell. I Am Kloot do not grab the listener by the lapels, preferring to let their music make insidious inroads into the consciousness. The opener, One Man Brawl, is a perfect example of their approach — a classic pop song that invites you to meet it halfway. Give this band half a chance and you might fall in love. PETE CLARK

THE B-52s
Funplex(Astralwerks/EMI)
****
Good news. Just 31 years after they formed in Athens, Georgia, The B-52’s, the most sloppily punctuated band in popular music, have finally become The B-52s. And if that wasn’t enough, Funplex, their first album since 1992’s far from good Good Stuff, marks the return of their sole heterosexual, Cindy Wilson. While it doesn’t rekindle the glorious hedonism of their pomp, in places (Ultravolet and Dancing Now to be precise) they’re writing songs to eclipse their classics, Love Shack and Rock Lobster. Fred Schneider is on impish form, rapping on Eyes Wide Open, but, as ever, it’s Kate Pierson and Wilson who carry these essentially daft songs about sex and dancing to another, better place entirely. JOHN AIZLEWOOD

JAZZ

NORMA WINSTONE
Distances(ECM)
****
Music of this serene beauty and tonal purity is normally reserved for the classical racks but German label ECM is committed to such excellence, and the singer is England’s equally fastidious Norma Winstone. Partnered by Italian pianist Glauco Venier and German reedman Klaus Gesing on soprano sax and bass clarinet, her cool, almost vibrato-free tones complete a chamber-jazz trio of rare sensitivity. Their glacially beautiful version of Every Time We Say Goodbye is close in spirit to the Nordic saxophonist Jan Garbarek. A talented songsmith, Norma also wrote the lyrics to five originals here, including the title track. JACK MASSARIK

WORLD

THE GARIFUNA WOMEN'S PROJECT
Umalali(Cumbancha)
****
This CD digipack shows a man asleep in a hammock, a sandy floor and women dancing. Open it further and see waves rushing towards you. Like the music, it takes you to a faroff beautiful world. Umalali means “voice” in the Garifuna language spoken by the Afro-Amerindian population on the Caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua and the women’s voices can be heard on glorious songs, many by the women themselves. There’s a sense of identity, community and joie de vivre in this music that transcends any language barrier. SIMON BROUGHTON