Overxposed – Maroon 5 – Adam Levine's high tight voice is well loathed but he can sing his songs very well and yet again his band have collected a steady, not spectacular but consistent collection of pop rock for a dance beat society. Perhaps Adam is overexposed, but when your deep album tracks are dance jazz gems like "Wasted Years", get used to him – Grade: B+
Write Me Back – R. Kelly – when it comes to soul, R. Kelly has performed years of consistently good material, but it has been years since he has written consistently great material. This is smooth soul music but it leaves no impression – Grade: B
Heady Fwends – The Flaming Lips – David Bowie isn't dying, and neither is the realms of bold faces, from Jim James to Ke$ha to Yoko Ono, who add their lustre to this difficult, somewhat abrasive, art rock album . Only Nick Cave takes Wayne where he probably hadn't planned on going – Grade: B
Days Go By – The Offsprings – Back in the Americana days -say the late 1990s, I thought the band were a joke and a real good one, both sneering and embracing their inner punkiness. Now I think they are middle aged boys who have forgotten how to underplay their hand. Grade: C+
Lunch, Recess & Detention – Marcy Playground – Always the bridesmaid late grunge contenders with a terrible name and an evolving backbeat, can't find that one song to get them over the top. These odds and sods aren't bad, the first single would have broken…. 15 years ago Grade: B
Suzie Cracks The Whip – Blues Travelers – These guys can't keep it up for any length of time… they never could. Good for a song or three… here it is three – Grade: B-
Casey Abrams – Casey ABrams – It is easy to fuck with American Idol alumni, because they release rubbish like this Jason Mraz wannabe intensely irritating, syncopated claptrap. He should cut out the middleman and become and become Jack Johnson – Grade: D
MMG Presents Self Made Vol2 – MMG Presents Vol 1 – About as clever as its album tracks. Put together Rock Ross, Wale and Omarion and wadja get? Omarion that's what – Grade: C
Living Things – Linkin Park – When did Jay-Z fall apart.?I used to say post-unretirement with 2006's Kingdom Come. But maybe it was Blueprint 2, his first lousy album. Could be either but I'll go with an album in the middle Collission Course, his 2004 mash-up with Linkin Park… maybe the worst band on earth – Grade: D-