Pink
Funhouse (SonyBMG) £12.99
Pink's fifth album was to be called 'Heartbreak is a Motherfucker' until commercial sense prevailed. The fun here is mostly of the clench-jawed, hellbent variety, prompted by Pink's recent divorce ('I lost a husband,' begins her recent chart-topping single. 'So what? Im still a rock star!'). Having shot to fame with 2001's soul-baring Missundaztood, Alecia Moore is no stranger to laundering her dirty linen for fun and profit. Now on the cusp of 30, her Funhouse is a timely update, studded with age-appropriate ballads. But it's also packed with sufficient changes of pace (country, RB, Scandi-pop) to offset the record's monomania.
Kitty Empire
John Legend
Evolver (Columbia) £12.99
John Legend is not one to sit still. When he isn't parading his fine singing voice, he's tackling poverty in Africa, managing record labels and generally overachieving. At the start of his third album, the Grammy-winning 29-year-old appears to be giving his soulful style a complete makeover. 'Green Light', the new upbeat single with Andre 3000, leads into the snappy funk of 'It's Over'. Then the tempo drops, and so does the inspiration. Apart from 'Good Morning', the rest sounds watered down, verging on bland. An evolutionary step in the wrong direction.
Killian Fox
Ryan Adams the Cardinals
Cardinology (Lost Highway) £12.99
With extreme prolificacy comes patchiness: a truth Ryan Adams seems doomed to prove in his post-Whiskeytown career. His sixth album in three years, a mix of soft country moments and rowdy rock pop, is once again lacking in quality control. Too often the genesis of a captivating idea - 'the static in the attic is making me confused' - is swamped by repetitive refrains and unremarkable melodies. Ever confessional, Adams is best mining his troubled life in hushed spare ballads closing track 'Stop', a song of support for substance abusers, offers a raw, tantalising glimmer of what this album could have been.
Katie Toms
Chairlift
Does You Inspire You (Kanine Records) £10.99
Apple's ad execs are certainly adept at spotting a catchy tune. Chairlift's quirky, Eighties-inspired 'Bruises' has become the latest iPod-flogging jingle. But those looking to this Brooklyn trio's MGMT-endorsed debut album for more upbeat sounds will find a largely dark collection of soundscapes and David Lynch-inspired mini-dramas. From the creepy surveillance-society critique of 'Earwig Town' to the cringe-making synth-chimes of 'Planet Health', this is a slightly patchy debut which will likely leave curious Eighties music fans intrigued but not satisfied.
Imogen Carter
Empty Boat
Waitless (Poo Productions) £13.99
What can a big band do about sanitation in the developing world? Quite a lot, apparently. This British-based collective have forged links with Mozambique, culminating in an album that takes water as its theme and a fusion of Brazilian and African elements for its modus operandi. Leader and keyboardist Dean Brodrick has an ear for an intriguing melody, while a classy line-up supplies exotic combinations of horns, tuba and female choruses, with an occasional touch of birdsong. Its shuffling sambas and aquatic references are organic and funky rather than worthy, and every album sold equals lifelong sanitation for one person.
Neil Spencer
Richard Galliano
Love Day (Milan) £12.99
If the idea of an accordion in jazz still puts you off, then Galliano is the man to change your mind. And this is probably the CD to do it, because he plays here with three top-flight jazz names: pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Mino Cinelu. The 12 impressionistic pieces chart a day, from 'Aurore' to 'Crépuscule', with Galliano coaxing such tonal delicacy from the button accordion as to banish all association with wheezy old squeeze-boxes. Equally remarkable is the ever-versatile Haden, whose bass lines blend in magically. Look out for this quartet at next month's London Jazz Festival.
Dave Gelly
