Stereophonics have a message for us all

Stereophonics – Keep Calm And Carry On

4/5

THE Welsh band's seventh studio album does what the 'Phonics do best – capture the zeitgeist.

This has been a year of recession, depression, wartime frugality and nostalgia. Keep Calm And Carry On, itself a message from a Second World War poster, is writer and singer Kelly Jones's response to the times in his usual poetic lyrics and gravelly vocals.

From the retro rock beat of the opener She's Alright to the memory-lane trips Uppercut and Beerbottle, where the band experiment with a more electro sound, to upbeat love songs like Could You Be The One, the album is a melodic mix of the good old with a new twist. Lead single Innocent is the standout track – a hook-laden storytelling classic. KW

Tune-Yards – Bird-Brains

4/5

JUST how low do you like your fidelity? Captured on a portable voice recorder and spliced together in basic sound-editing software, Merrill Garbus's debut release as Tune-Yards is the contemporary equivalent of a four-track demo.

It gives the American's songs real immediacy and intimacy, like they were recorded while everyone else was asleep. Despite the self-imposed limitations, her careful post-production gives the arrangements real depth.

On Hatari, she yodels over a wonky funk loop, while Sunlight is something approaching a pop song. Refreshing. SK

Erin McKeown – Hundreds Of Lions

2/5

FEW singer-songwriters have tried their hand at so many genres with such minimal populist return as Massachusetts native Erin McKeown.

Having dabbled in lo-fi indie, swing, jazz covers and throwaway pop, 2009 sees the release of her eighth album, ostensibly a mixture of all of the above.

While there is something engaging about her winsome delivery, there is nothing here that comes close to her 2003 career high Grand – a genuine lost gem of recent times.

There are interesting moments, but the problems – To A Hammer is fun but lightweight, 28 cannot bear the weight of its five-minute running time – win out. RD

80 Glorious Years of Lata Mangeshkar

4/5

EIGHTY songs from the Queen of Bollywood, Lata Mangeshkar, are captured in this collection of eight CDs.

It collects solos and duets by the singing star from the 40s to the present day and features the work of most of India's famous composers.

Thankfully, the songs are not chronologically arranged offering you variety, and feature films like From Mahal, Barsaat, Mughal-E-Azam, Do Raaste, Aan Milo Sajna, Pakeezah and Bobby amongst others.

The splendid collection has been produced to mark her 80th birthday. BA

Reviews by Kate Whiting, Steve Kerr, Rory Dollard and Badri Ahmed.