Various Artists: Music from the motion picture The World Is Not Enough (Radioactive/MCA)
Not much variety here, with the bulk of the music being composed, arranged and performed by David Arnold, topped by the title track by Garbage and tailed by a new song from Scott Walker. The biggest-ever Bond blockbuster requires a suitably potent soundtrack, and Arnold delivers a hi-tech, high-energy score which matches 007's action blow for blow. So no change there, then. Garbage singer Shirley Manson coos her way through the sultry title track, joining a pantheon of Bond theme poppets which includes Shirley Bassey, Carly Simon and Sheena Easton. The best, however, is saved for last, when the mighty Scott Walker takes over on the Arnold/Don Black-penned torch song, I've Only Myself To Blame. Now, I certainly wasn't expecting that, Mr Bond.
- Kevin Courtney
Dr Dre: (Aftermath)
Lauded for reshaping hip-hop, Dr Dre's second album comes at the end of a year when his protege Eminem has dominated the charts and his former group NWA have announced plans to reform. What better way to celebrate than with a new album? While 1993's The Chronic was one of the genre's finest documents, 2001 is a much more muted and pallid affair. The production and the beats are spot on but the raps, supplied for the most part by long-time pal Snoop Dogg and his canine mates, are jaded and dull. It's only when Eminem or Mary J. Blige emerge that 2001 hits any sort of stride. It would seem that the good doctor needs a tonic.
- Jim Carroll
Brainwash (Bright Star)
If you want a short, sharp burst of top-notch N.I. rock'n'roll, then this seven-track collection from Belfast's crunchiest guitar combo should sort out those synapses. Co.uk is led by Joe Brush (no relation to Brush Shiels), and this CD comprises the band's first three singles, including the now-deleted Influenced. The Codots cook up a heady rock'n'roll cocktail, mixing the sparring style of Foo Fighters with the punk energy of Offspring and the inventiveness of XTC, displaying a potential for greater things in the near future. Part Of The Game, Not Today and Big Green Bath will have you jumping around the bathroom with grunge-filled glee, and should whet the appetite nicely for co.uk's debut album assault in 2000.
- Kevin Courtney
Loreena McKennitt: Live in Paris and Toronto (QRCD)
Who is Loreena McKennitt? Her main connection to this country seems to be that she has a house in the West of Ireland - but then, so does Jack Charlton, and he has so far shown no inclination to turn himself into a Celtic superstar. Pity, really, for his Geordie mumblings might be more interesting than McKennitt's post-Enya vocal keenings, of which there are 17 lengthy expositions on this live double album, graced with suitably misty titles; All Souls Night, Between the Shadows and The Lady Of Shalott. McKennitt once released an album of Christmas carols, in the middle of one of which her percussionist Rick Lazar launched into a thrilling whirl of Balkan beats - this time around, he has been submerged in a haze of shimmering blandness.
- Arminta Wallace