Beyoncé Knowles, Nickelback and Tom Jones all return with new albums of varying success.

Pop

BEYONCE
I Am... Sasha Fierce (Music World/RCA)
***
Three albums into an increasingly peculiar solo career, Beyoncé Knowles has decided it’s time to embrace superstar strangeness. Comprising 16 songs over two CDs and featuring 20 producers and 33 songwriters, I Am... Sasha Fierce is a sprawling, disjointed epic. Disc one supposedly reveals the “real” Beyoncé. It’s full of grandstanding but surprisingly spartan ballads. The second disc, supposedly by her alter-ego, Sasha Fierce, is a clattering clubland hurricane. Brave and bonkers.
JOHN AIZLEWOOD

NICKELBACK
Dark Horse (Roadrunner)
**
Nickelback’s inescapable hit Rockstar offered
a supposedly satirical take on life as a heroically indulgent musician, but on the evidence offered by their sixth album, singer Chad Kroeger wasn’t joking: crass lyrics abound. Producer Mutt Lange, who brought us AC/DC’s Back in Black, gives a big-money sheen to the weighty riffing, and Kroeger has an ear for a memorable tune. But his incessant boorishness, especially on Something in Your Mouth, leaves a sour taste.
DAVID SMYTH

TOM JONES
24 Hours (Parlophone)
***
Apparently inspired by a late-night bar chat with Bono, this is an album of mostly new material. I’m Alive announces itself with a riot of guitar, brass and drums before the singer effortlessly muscles in. His voice has not been diminished by the years — it remains a white soul phenomenon. Despite some modern production touches this is a thoroughly old-fashioned record. Bono and The Edge’s song Sugar Daddy is an amusing take on the Jones persona, but elsewhere we’re never far from the shades of Delilah.
PETE CLARK

Jazz

THE FIVE CORNERS
Hot Corner (Ricky-Tick Records)
****
Not every Scandinavian band does brooding electronica or grunge-metal jazz-rock. Like Italy’s Nicola Conte, Finnish arranger-composer-DJ Tuomas Kallio has handpicked a core quintet for the task (with trumpeter Jukka Eskola particularly suitable) and selects his guests (vibist Arttu Takalo, female singer Okou) with similar care. By happy coincidence, US hipster Mark Murphy was also in the Helsinki studios, and his vocals enhance several tracks. Catch the Corners at the Jazz Café tomorrow.
JACK MASSARIK

World

AMADOU & MARIAM
Welcome to Mali (Because Music)
****

Amadou & Mariam are a Malian duo attracting growing attention thanks to their exuberant last album and live gigs in the UK supporting Scissor Sisters and with Africa Express. This new album begins with Sabali, a slight concoction produced by Damon Albarn with an infectious charm. It’s followed by 15 catchy songs characterised by Amadou’s bluesy guitar playing. Although the soulfulness of their earlier records is lost in the (over) production there’s still a vibrant joie de vivre.
SIMON BROUGHTON