The Cluas verdict? 1 out of 10 Egotistical, soulless rubbish. Described as soul, though clearly devoid of any, Musiq Soulchild's fourth album sees our hero address subjects that affect each and every one of us. On album opener B.U.D.D.Y for example, Musiq tries to persuade some random woman to become his 'f*@k buddy' by singing ‘sorry if I come off disrespectful but my convo is a little bit 2 sexual but damn it's incredible be a more flexible 'cause the context some text is a lil special’   Complete rubbish and yet it’s the ‘highlight’ of the album. What follows is an uninspiring mix of R & B and neo-soul, throughout which time the man born Talib Johnson laments the fact that he's having lots of sex, but has no one to love. It’s hard not to feel moved by his plight. Forget Paris Hilton; forget the incompetent presidential incumbent; Luvanmusiq, the work of a nar... [Read on]

Cluas Verdict: 3 out of 10 Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo and Raphael star in : The Postman always brings shite. There comes a time in the life of every music hack when, if he’s doing his job correctly, an outraged punter will be provoked into making the observation that they wouldn’t be at all surprised to discover that the writer of the offending piece was not at the gig at all. I am reminded of this when the envelope containing "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Music From The Motion Picture", lands on the mat, and spend much of the next week wondering if it would be possible to do the review without having it defile my CD player. But my responsibility to Cluas readers weighs heavily upon me, so listen to it I do, and, to be fair, I am pleasantly surprised. But only in the sense that it could have been worse. Of the 14 tracks, 10 sound like Sum 41 doing Green Day covers – In other words perfectly suited to the job of accompanying Leonar... [Read on]

CLUAS Verdict: 6.5 out of 10 An inconsistent, genre-hopping debut, from the band that gave us one of the finest singles in recent years. Johnny Boy, a Liverpudlian duo, open their eponymous debut with ‘You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve’. This mouthful is a slice of pop perfection and was released as a single in 2004 to critical acclaim but sadly passed the general public by. The album that we had to wait this long for is a frustrating listen as JB jump between genres with varying success. At times the listener is rewarded with gems which, other than ‘Generation’, include the electro-infused indie of ‘15 minutes’, the punk rock of ‘Formaldehyde’ and the Spector-esque splendidness of closing track, and debut single, ‘Johnny Boy Theme’. However the gaps between these songs are filled with tiresome choruses, strained vocals and over-the-top rants about modern day consumerism an... [Read on]

Cluas Verdict: 1 out of 10 First there was "The Best Of". Now there is "The Very Best Of". I'd hate to hear the outtakes.   In this review we shall attempt to disprove the theory that everyone who writes about music is a failed musician. Not me, mister. No sirree. Unless beating out a semi rhythmical tattoo on the steering wheel or playing Satisfaction (I Can't Get No) on the top string of my brother's guitar counts, I have never strummed, plucked, shaken, hit at, tinkled or blown into anything. This is primarily because I am concerned that, were I to attempt to, the result might end up sounding like The Doors. I hate The Doors. That they continue to be so highly thought of, half a lifetime after they last inflicted an original tune on the world has, in my view, absolutely everything to do with the fact that their singer stiffed the leg at a ridiculously young age. Surely be to all that's holy, it can't be because of the musi... [Read on]

Not a perfect album, but not a bad one within the strict quality confines of uneventful teenage punk. CLUAS Verdict: 6 out of 10 A band of the new generation, N. Irish pop-punks Steer Clear have topped Bebo music streams with thousands of online fans. But so have a lot of bands: is that a genuine reflection of a good album? Yes in some ways, no in others. A triumph of marketing and good production over musical content, No…You Hang Up is filled with angsty pop-punk of a breed common across the generational band of age 12-15. For all that, there’s some undeniably catchy choruses, clever guitar work, erudite references to classical and classic rock, punk, metal and even pop. Despite the difficulties inherent in telling any songs apart, each of them are some good tunes with decent, if not ground-breaking or even naff-free, lyrical content.  Anna Murray [Read on]

CLUAS verdict: 7 out of 10 Reincarnations of electronic outfit Polanski, Ghosts show with this album that they're a band of warm intentions and clever songwriting. This new record from the band has one of the best opening tracks to grace an album in quite some time, despite sounding suspiciously akin to Jet's bass intro to Are You Gonna Be My Girl. However, the song itself (new single, Stay the Night) is a jazzy piece of crossing instruments, brass, walking basslines and a singable melody. Unfortunately, the majority of the remaining songs have a tendency to fade into the background no matter how much you try to concentrate on them, while the band themselves seem unable to settle on a sound of their own, instead borrowing from a others. Still, Ghosts are a band with a collective head for melody, and this album will inexplicably grow on you, no matter how much you resist it.  Anna Murray More ... [Read on]

Tarantino soundtrack = quirky, eclectic and interesting vintage pop. Listen and enjoy it now before it all gets played to death. CLUAS Verdict: 8.5 out of 10 Quentin Tarantino soundtracks are as much an event as the movies themselves, and for 'Death Proof' he's once again found some lost/ignored crackers. The overall sound is late '60s/early '70s boogie rock from the likes of Willy deVille, Pacific Gas & Electric and T-Rex (who are unknown in the States, shockingly enough). There's also some evocative soundtrack pieces from the likes of Jack Nitzsche and Ennio Morricone. There's a soulful cut from the wonderful voice of Joe Tex. And the dialogue excerpts are mercifully few and short. Pick of the bunch is US Francophile chanteuse April March's 'Chick Habit', her hip-swinging version of 'Laisse Tomber Les Filles' by Serge Gainsbourg - one man who's in no need of Tarantino's king-making patronage. But... [Read on]