Rock/Pop

The latest CD releases reviewed

ASA  ASA Naïve  ****

Riding the arc of a song, caressing its curves with an instinctiveness that's all too rare these days, Asa (pronouned "Asha") is a next big thing who might actually deserve the accolade.

Combining a Nigerian-accented rhythm'n' blues with a strong lyrical sensibility that touches on themes ranging from self-imprisonment ( Jailer) to the futility of war ( Fire on the Mountain), not to mention a brace of rhythmically divine songs in Yoruba, Asa is an ingenue who opts for understatement rather than brash entrances, with shades of Virginia Rodrigues in her vocal style.

Against a backdrop soaked in funky bass lines, the subtlest scratch programming and some canny string arrangements that never once venture into the territory of jaded Sade-ism, Asa's force of personality makes itself felt with refreshing, unfettered confidence. Definitely a debut to witness. www.asamusic.net - SIOBHÁN LONG

THE FEELING Join With Us Universal ***

They honed their craft doing covers at ski lodges and got everyone rattling their jewellery at the Diana commemoration shindig thanks to songs that reminded you of Queen, Supertramp and Fleetwood Mac.

But can The Feeling continue mining that seam of slick 1970s/1980s rock on their second album and keep it sounding fresh?

The confident flagship single, I Thought It Was Over, suggests that nothing's gonna break their stride, and fans will find no shortage of hooks, memorable melodies and stunningly clever musical tricks in such songs as Without You, Spare Me, Turn it Upand I Did It for Everyone.

The Feeling eventually get a bit too clever for their own good - Won't Go Awayis a cheesy twist on Bowie's Modern Love,complete with sax solo, while Lonelinessleans towards the trivial.

Greatest Show on Earth, the "prog" finale, is actually two songs tacked together, the second one getting as near as bedamned to the band's own Stonehenge. www.thefeeling.com-  KEVIN COURTNEY

Download tracks: Join With Us, Turn It Up

SPECK MOUNTAIN Summer Above Peacefrog **

Sweet and slow is the way of the walk on Speck Mountain. This luminous album from the three Chicago Mountaineers is top-heavy with slow-motion beauty, angelic tones and general gentle waves of sound. There are coos at every turn, Marie-Clare Balabanian's voice beckoning you from the clouds.

So many glows and shimmers abound that you really need a pair of sunglasses before you move onto the next song. But Summer Above's swathe of perfectly poised and pitched dream-pop is decidedly short on drama and momentum.

Very little happens on this Mountain - just avalanches of voice, guitar, organ and assorted muted brass sounds. When the album ends and all the chilled bliss and folky drones fade away, you're damned if you can remember anything other than how pleasant, discreet and bland it all sounded. www.myspace.com/speckmountain  - JIM CARROLL

Download tracks: Summer Above, Fjord Song

GAVIN BRYARS The Sinking of the Titanic Touch ****

Recorded live at the 2005 Venice Biennale, the newly released third version of Gavin Bryars's seminal 1969 piece is also its finest.

First recorded for Brian Eno's Obscure label in 1975 (along with Bryars's other break-out piece, ( Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet), Titanic brought the English jazz musician/ composer to the forefront of contemporary music with its blend of musical and sonic debris (electronic sounds, survivor interviews, hymn fragments), simple melodic lines and murmuring rhythms.

Unlike its more formal 1994 orchestral version, the 2005 version is leaner, longer and more dynamic. Featuring Bryars on double bass, DJ Philip Jeck on turntables and music ensemble Alter Ego on strings, brass, wind and percussion, it achieves, in its aleatoric combination of new musical and sonic elements (digital noize, football match recording, crickets) an astonishing emotional urgency. www.touchmusic.org.uk - JOCELYN CLARKE

Download Track: The Sinking of the Titanic