Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
White Lunar
EMI
This is a masterpiece. Here, Nick Cave and Dirty Three’s Warren Ellis join forces to deliver a double disc compilation of soundtrack delights to create an album that is robust, melancholic and heart-breaking in its beauty. With songs from the likes of The Assassination of Jesse James, The Proposition, The English Surgeons, The Girls of Phnom Penh and new motion picture epic The Road, this collection of songs will delight and stir the soul. You don’t need to be a fan of Nick Cave to enjoy this, just a lover of cinematic music. – Scott-Patrick Mitchell

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Various
The Cool List
Universal
How cool is this! It represents great value with a packed song list on 2 CDs (that’s 40 tracks!) and includes such class acts of the studio, namely Empire of the Sun, Lady Gaga, The Presets, PNAU, Lily Allen and the very talented Sam Sparro. Weaving through pop, R&B, rap, trance with a bit of hard-core rock, this is an excellently conceived representation of all that is current and out there on the music scene, both from an Australian and overseas perspective. – Terry Larder

Aqua
Greatest Hits
Universal
Ah… there was never an era that yielded such incessant pop than the ’90s. It was like that whole era was on some kinda bubblegum, badly dressed high, one where blatant production was married to some decent song writing and some outrageously cartoon-esque promotion. No other band better embodies the pop of this era than Aqua. And in true reminiscent style, here are there greatest hits. It’s strange that not all their singles appear here, but there are still the classics. Slip it in and spin out like it’s on sale for $19.99. Bubblegum pop at its best! – Scott-Patrick Mitchell

Cassie Davis
Differently
Sony
Perth-based indie-pop songstress Cassie Davis has delivered such a strong debut album. With a solid grunge LA sound, Cassie rips into her material with the determination and spunk of someone twice her age. I found my ears tweaking as to whether this was closer to a Pink sound or more of a Gwen Stefani in her No Doubt period. Clever, concise writing backed up with Davis’ crisp tonal quality. Favourites? Like it Loud and No More. Davis is a star in the making about to scale to new heights! – Terry Larder

Paul Dempsey
Everything Is True
EMI
Something for Kate frontman and singer extraordinaire Paul Dempsey is currently riding high on the video hit playlist with the knock-out track, Ramona Was A Waitress. Opening track, and my favourite, Bats, gives an entrée to a feast of music, and what is about to follow. Dempsey plays most of the instruments on this 11 track CD and with the help of savvy producer, Wayne Connolly, Dempsey succeeds where others have failed. Sometimes the messages are bleak. But overall the tone ultimately is optimistic and incredibly varied. This is a winner. – Terry Larder

Muse
The Resistance
Warner
There’s something a little bit aggravating about Muse. Everywhere you turn it’s Muse this and Muse that. A veritable saturation point has been reached in the promotion of their new album, leaving one to wonder: are they worth the hype? Well… the jury is still out. They borrow heavily – potentially a little too heavily – from the likes of Queen and other glam pop bands. There’s a amicability in songs like Resistance, Uprising and Unnatural Selection, but all too often their songs shift too epically. Love them or hate them, this album still makes for a compelling listen. – Scott-Patrick Mitchell

Mark Vincent
My Dream
Sony
This 19 year old tenor struggles in the top register, nevermore obvious than the opening track, Nessum Dorma, the late Pavarotti’s signature aria. For me the opening track should have been Leonard Cohen’s anthem, Hallelujah, which Vincent mastered very well. You Raise Me Up and Boyzone’s hit No Matter What are two of the better renditions on this 11 track disc. Admittedly, it has sold well on the strength of him winning the TV show, Australia You’ve Got Talent, but for me the real acid test is going to be the second album. – Terry Larder