Out This Week

So the reign of Rihanna's 'Umbrella' is finally over. Timbaland snatched it off her and blew with all his mighty pop strength into it until it was all inside out and broken. Something that this week's role call of pop hopefuls will probably be quite happy about...

Rufus Wainwright 'Rules And Regulations' (Geffen)
We must confess that we've still not made it all the way through Rufus Wainwright's last album, 'Release The Stars'. It's hard on the ears. On its own though, 'Rules And Regulations' could sit happily on any of his previous and pleasanter albums unnoticed. There's still way too much going on though. An over fussy brass section we could happily live without and some weird stuff on a recorder that's not a million miles away from being the melody of Blur's 'Out Of Time' - only not as good. Despite this being relatively restrained, it still ends up being overblown and therefore unemotional. Will someone please hypnotise Rufus and repeat the phrase "less is more" until it sinks in.

Watch Rufus Wainwright videos






Nelly Furtado 'In God's Hands'
How does she fit so many singles on just one album?
Brinkman 'Change It'
Is all this 'new' music just recycled dad-rock?
Cribs 'Moving Pictures'
Does this explain why Cribs haven't broken through?
David Guetta 'Love Is Gone'
Has love gone or has it just nipped off for a weekend break?
Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster 'In The Garden'
Two members of The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster walk into a bar...
Maps 'You Don't Know Her Name'
How to be on the wrong side of the paparazzi in not the usual way...
Lumidee 'Crazy'
Can Lumidee top the out of tune brilliance of that 'uh-oooh uh-oooh' one?
Wallis Bird 'Moodsets'
From Imbruglia to Bedingfield in one quick movement...
Laura Veirs 'Saltbreakers'
Like falling in love in a pot of gooey treacle...


» Reviewed by: Tim
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