This country's undisputed Prince of Pop, Robbie Williams, is back with a brand new album entitled Intensive Care' (EMI).

This is Robbie's first album without longstanding co-writer Guy Chambers, who many believe the singer owes much of his success to so he probably feels he has a big point to prove with this release.

Stephen Duffy is the man who has now filled Chambers' shoes, taking on the co-writing role and a fine job he has done, crafting some quality pop/rock tunes that should ensure William's high level of success does not dip in anyway.

Some of the songs take a little longer to reveal their magic than those on previous albums, but when they do kick-in, they prove to be immensely satisfying.

A new record by Kate Bush, arguably this country's most original female singer/songwriter of the last thirty years, is always a major event on the music calendar, since she keeps her many fans waiting so long between each release.

Aerial' (EMI), is Bush's first album in twelve long years but it's well worth the wait and at least she's served up a 2CD's worth of material for our delectation which should keep everyone happy for a little while at least (maybe not twelve years though).

It's kooky, off-the wall at times, haunting in parts and generally typically Kate i.e. fabulous. How good it is to have her back but I guess, since she has not performed live' since 1978, a concert tour will have to remain just wishful thinking.

If Robbie is the Prince of Pop then Madonna is most certainly the Queen. A few pretenders might have emerged in recent years and tried to steal her crown but Madonna is back to reclaim her mantle and is on blistering form, after her last two lukewarm releases, with her sensational new album Confessions On A Dance Floor (Maverick). As the title suggests, it's an all out dance record, effortlessly addictive and relentlessly energetic and you'll find it nigh on impossible to keep still whilst listening to it. It's yet another in a long line of reinventions by Madonna but one that seems destined to keep the now forty-seven year old mother of two at the top for a good while longer.

When Luther Vandross sadly passed away last summer, aged just fifty-three, the music world lost one of the finest soul singers of all-time. Pitch perfect and capable of wrenching every last bit of emotion from a song, Luther was a one-off, who some would argue never quite received the level of critical acclaim that his talents truly deserved. No one can really sing a Luther song quite like the man himself but as a tribute to him, some of the biggest names in music have come together to cover his best-known songs. So Amazing An All-Star Tribute To Luther Vandross' (Sony BMG) features the likes of Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Beyonce, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Donna Summer, Mary J Blige, Alicia Keys, Usher, Wyclef Jean and Babyface. Aretha's version of A House Is Not A Home' is a big disappointment, her voice is no longer what it once was and she compensates for what she has lost in vocal power by over egging the cake' and it just does not work. Mary J. Blige on the other hand delivers a stunning interpretation of Never Too Much', Usher shines too on a great cover of Superstar' and the voices of Beyonce and Stevie Wonder blend together quite beautifully on So Amazing'. Donna Summer and Wyclef do nice reworks of Power Of Love' and Always & Forever' respectively but Celine Dion reduces one of Luther's late career classic tracks, Dance With My Father' to a rather bland affair. It's all lovingly done though and you can really tell the respect these artists have for Vandross but you can't help but crave for the original versions whilst listening to this CD.

To mark the 30th Anniversary of its original release, Patti Smith's seminal debut album, Horses' gets the deluxe reissue treatment. Horses' was a groundbreaking rock & roll masterpiece, which continues to this day its unparalleled influence on rock music, style and culture. Smith's vocals are raw but impassioned and it's lyrically poetic throughout. The newly released 2CD package combines the original, remastered, album with a complete live' performance of Horses' recorded at the Royal Festival hall in London on June 25th, 2005. You also get a lavish booklet featuring rare archival photographs, ephemera, lyrics and documentation of the 2005 concert. Horses' is a record like few others but one which deserves its place in any serious rock/new wave music fan's collection.