Texas: The Hush (Mercury)
You'd better hope your wireless is waterproof, because it'll be dripping with hot, sweaty Texas tunes all through the summer. On the cover lolls rock's "it" girl, Sharleen Spiteri, soaking up the rays and flashing her airbrushed armpits; inside are 12 juicy slices of pop-soul, perfectly sculpted and impeccably presented for your delight and delectation. The opening hit, In Our Lifetime, sets the tone, which is mostly retro r&b tinged with a sharp, up-to-date dance sensibility. Echoes of French House shimmer through Move It and the title track, while up-tempo fare such as Summer Son and When We Are Together give the requisite nods to cool 1970s disco and sultry 1960s girl-soul. Spiteri's chilled, controlled vocals dominate, but the pristine production values will guarantee The Hush a permanent place on the dinner party decks.
Kevin Courtney
Various Artists: Burning London The Clash Tribute (Epic)
Loathesome as tribute albums usually are, there's something strangely compelling about a bunch of American rockers paying homage to the most influential English punk band ever. In the hands of today's Brit-poppers, The Clash's superior back catalogue might have had all the spit mangled out of it, but give it to ballsy US bands like The Urge (This Is Radio Clash), Rancid (Cheat), Third Eye Blind (Train In Vain) and Afghan Whigs (Lost In The Supermarket) and the result is respectful, energetic and just that little bit off the beam. No Doubt's version of Hateful sees Gwen Stefani doing her "I'm just a riot grrrl" bit, while Ice Cube goes for the rap on Should I Stay Or Should I Go. Cracker's country reading of White Riot is less effective, but Indigo Girls' folksy take on Clampdown nails it nicely. Bonus versions of Guns Of Brixton, Rock The Casbah and Tommy Gun copper-fasten this collection's cred.
Kevin Courtney
GusGus: This Is Normal (4AD)
GusGus and Iceland go together like grilled puffin and Reykjavik. While the very nature of GusGus seems totally at odds with what we expect rock'n'roll bands to be, they still fit like a glove into their surroundings. A nine-strong multi-media collective of artists, photographers, film-makers and actors, their second album, This Is Normal, is a more focussed and rhythmic affair than the 1997 Polydistortion debut. That's not to say that the odd, arty, oblong angles and curves of old have been airbrushed away; rather that the ideas are now channelled into very definite grooves. From the deft funky touches of Ladyshave to the touching fusion of Starlovers, GusGus rarely lose sight of their target. The perfect in-flight Icelandair soundtrack.
Jim Carroll