Scott Kara reviews new album Ali and Toumani from Ali Farka & Toumani...

Christopher Owen, the brains and voice behind San Francisco's Girls sounds sad - about girls.

It's been a decade since British electronic act Goldfrapp - singer, synth player and clothes horse Alison Goldfrapp and producer Will Gregory - released their debut album Felt Mountain.

The debut album Alive of two years ago by this photogenic Chinese singer was a mish-mash of electro-pop, slightly twee vocals, Chinese folk, new age blandness and deadening over-production.

Let's take a trip back in time to when ravers wore gas masks, and if you weren't wearing a mask you were blowing a whistle, while dancing to yabbering happy hardcore and banging beats that send you raving mad.

The Truckers inspire great loyalty, but fans may be tested by this outing which was knocked off quickly and suffers for it.

Baltimore duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally produce the kind of music that confuses your sound receptors at the same time as comforting them.

Scott Kara reviews new album There Is Love In You from Four Tet

Jacqueline Smith reviews new album Devil's Halo from Meshell Ndegeocello

Russell Baillie reviews new album Humour and the Misfortune of Others from Hollie Smith

Given there's hardly been a shortage of Hendrix albums since his death in 1970, the question is: Why had this album gained so much attention?

Lavishly packaged in a cardboard box and adorned with pictures of the fetching harp player, pianist and singer Joanna Newsom's third album is very easy on the eye.

The concept for Simon O'Neill's new album focuses on the music of Lohengrin, son of Parzival, Siegfried, son of Siegmund and, finally, Parsifal.

Jacqueline Smith reviews new album The Pursuit from Jamie Cullum...

Megasus play slovenly and unhinged music, almost to the point where the songs fall apart.

Scott Kara reviews new album I'm New Here from Gil Scott-Heron...

While Massive Attack's fifth album doesn't have the anthemic tunes of early albums Blue Lines and Protection, making it a return to form for the Bristol band.

Charlotte Gainsbourg's voice is haunting, saucy, and memorable.

Alicia Keys holds back on her latest album.

If the shadow of climate change has hung over previous albums by this pan-Pacific group then it is hard to hear some of this without thinking of last year's tsunami.

The Flight of the Conchords' parodies have spoiled some music for us.

If the joyous and spirited sounds on this album are anything to go by, the 60s and early 70s would have been a golden age to be partying on the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.

So no points for originality then.

Ice, cocktail, tall glass, good friends, this album. Result.