SINGLES

MELANIE B: Feels So Good (Virgin) -- The Spice Girls should rest on their laurels. They made a lot of money and to try and establish themselves as serious solo artists appears an uphill struggle. Bland and boring is how I would describe this song, unlike the star's private life. (4/10) DH

AMEN: Too Hard To Be Free (IAM/Virgin) -- In a word --excellent. Amen's new single screams anarchy, corruption and pure rock 'n' roll. Sounding like a toned-down Slipknot, Casey Chaos's angry vocals, teamed with heavy guitars, are another reminder of the American dominance in the current rock scene. (9/10) CC

FINGATHING: Just Practise (Grand Central) -- To say this is mediocre would be the understatement of the year. It has no musical quality apart from the catchy bass line. Filled with dialogue instructing us how to play guitar and scratch, perhaps the chaps from Fingathing, should go and learn a lesson about music themselves. (2/10) CC

A1: No More (Jive) -- After destroying the Aha tune Take On Me and then attempting to do a ballad, they return with this indescribable pile of pap. Am I being harsh? Buy it and see. But remember, you can't get a refund -- even if you become suicidal. (2/10) DH

ALBUMS

FUN LOVING CRIMINALS: Loco (Chrysalis) -- The distorted, metal guitar chords of opening number Where Bums Go sees the trio of Huey, Fast and the lesser-known drummer threatening to re-live the glory days of the their debut album. Back then tracks like Scooby Snacks made them one of the most exciting acts around. Their innovative set was built on this sort of raw energy. But, alas, the brilliant intro to Loco is a mere smokescreen and before you know it Huey, is back knocking out those lazy tunes that simply don't cut the mustard. Tracks like, Run Daddy Run and Half A Block maintain that annoying habit of being just OK without serving any real purpose. Like its two predecessors, Loco won't even offer enough to satisfy their current fan base, let alone raise the band's profile even further. (4/10) CL

STEPHEN MALKMUS: Self Titled, (Domino) --The debut solo album from the former lead singer and guitarist of cult American indie outfit Pavement gives an insight to another side of the songwriter's skills. Despite the adoration of Blur's guitarist Graham Coxon, Pavement were seldom, if ever, easy on the ear. Here Malkmus remains as experimental as ever but his guitar work is awesome. At a time when many artists from the States seem to think the art of songwriting is all about rapping over over heavy metal music, this is a welcome breath of fresh air. (7/10) CL VARIOUS: Dance Masters (Virgin) -- This is first of what will no doubt be a long stream of dance compilations but, that aside, it is a good effort. Avoiding the cheesier sounds of the nightclub, stand-alone tracks include Santos, Planet Funk and Bedrock. This is well worth a look if you prefer something a bit more serious than Lolly. (8/10) DH

TWILO VOLUME 1: Junior Vasquez, (Virgin) -- A DJ I have never had much time for, Junior surprised me with this. Apparently done at America's number one club, the tracks blend seemlessly (though I suppose my mix would if I only used my own remixes) and make for a good listen if you are preparing for a night out. A nice change. (7/10) DH