-EOPLE: Testify (BMG) -- Smooth, silky, soulful and a little too squeaky-clean for my liking. But -eople (right) continue to delight their many fans with their polished mainstream dance tunes. This single is the prelude to a greatest hits album and a tour which sees them in their native North West later this year. (6/10) PB

THE KING: Come As You Are (EMI) -- The best tongue-in-cheek tributes always seem to involve Elvis. This time the idea is an Elvis impersonator who only sings songs by dead people. I must admit hearing The King singing Nirvana's Come As You Are does sound strangely soothing. The cover of Sinatra's New York, New York is equally amusing. This is the best novelty act since reggae band Dread Zeppelin decided to cover Led Zep numbers with a cheeseburger-addicted Elvis lookalike on vocals. The fact that this guy appeared on TFI Friday may help him prolong his shelf-life for another couple of weeks. (8/10) PB

ALBUMS

REM: Up (Warner Brothers) -- Those who have heard the single Daysleeper may well be thinking this album will picks up where REM left off with their classic offering Automatic For The People. With its slowly building guitar arpeggios and its briskly strummed acoustic guitar chorus and Michael Stipe's soaring voice, Daysleeper provides the link fans of that album will need if they are to make the jump to this one. While the songs here are carefully crafted, REM are downbeat and at their most melancholy. Indeed on the opening track Airportman, they are so quiet and sad they sound rather like Spiritualized. With the exception of Daysleeper and the relaxed guitar and organ sounds of second track Lotus, this album sees REM moving into much quieter and darker territory. (7/10) PB VARIOUS ARTISTS: Real Ibiza (React) -- There have been countless Ibiza compilations this year but few can stand up to this one. Put together by A Man Called Adam, Chris Coco and Bruno Leprettre, Real Ibiza is a further extension of the seminal Cafe Del Mar series, concentrating on the more sensual, blissful side of Balearic music. Highpoints include the excellent Sunday Afternoon by Vanessa Daou, Flower Garden by Alania and A Man Called Adam's own All My Favourite People. (8/10) JS

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS: Out Spaced (Creation) -- A fine collection of rare singles, B-sides and other oddities from the Welsh guitar wizards. Catchy but rude single The Man Don't Give a F*** and funky anthem Smokin' are among the highlights. I can't comment on much of the lyrical content since I can think of hundreds of more useful things to do than learn Welsh. A must for fans looking to fill the gaps in their collection but unlikely to have a broader appeal. (8/10) PB

PAUL WELLER: Modern Classics (Island) -- I wouldn't endorse the arrogant title of this greatest hits album. I've never been convinced that Weller (left) is one of the greats. But thousands beg to differ and tracks like the considered and moody acoustic track Wild Wood and the downwardly spiralling rock riffs and gruff growling vocals of The Changingman show why Weller is so well-loved. The understated epic You Do Something To Me, where warm-toned electric guitar and honky-tonk piano tickle Weller's gentle vocal, is another of the highlights. The album's good but the songs here are not all "modern classics". (7/10) PB

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.