SINGLES

Latest releases reviewed

Latest releases reviewed

OASIS
Let There Be Love
Big Brother
**
Ey oop, is our Liam turning into a soft sh**e? Shouldn’t that be Let There be Beer? Or Let There Be an Almighty Ruck? This babychampagne supernova has plenty of pop but not enough fizz.

ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS
You Are My Sister (with Boy George)
Rough Trade
**

The Mercury Music-winning torch singer joins up with his hero for a little musical bonding. The song is mercifully restrained, but it’s a slippery slope to a jolly pop duet with Limahl.

JAMIE CULLUM
Mind Trick
Universal
***
The young swinger can't decide whether he wants to be a jazzhead, a funkateer, a poptart or an r'n'b rat-packer. So he's just turned into Billy Joel. Good trick, that.

DEVENDRA BANHART
Heard Somebody Say
XL
**

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What's that, Dev? Stop the fighting? Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of hippies being shot for writing simplistic sub-Donovan protest songs.

PUSSYCAT DOLLS
Stickwitu
A&M
**

They don’t want to be one-hit wonders, so prepare for another feast of feline gyrations as the Dolls declare their intention to stick around a little longer than Atomic Kitten. Can U stick it?


THE AUTOMATIC
Revolver
B-Unique
***

The search is on for the next Arctic Monkeys who can hijack the charts and get the pundits banging on about the "people's pop revolution". This one would definitely sound good on the dancefloor.

DAVID GRAY
Hospital Food
IHT
**

Somewhere in Dave’s heart there’s a touch of the Aztec Cameras trying to break free. Here’s an upbeat paean to sickness from his top-selling album, Life in Slow Motion. More mushy peas, please, nurse.

Kevin Courtney

Kevin Courtney

Kevin Courtney is an Irish Times journalist