SINGLES - Badly Drawn Boy -- You Were Right (Out now, XL)

POPSTAR realises there are more important things in life than himself. Shock. Story: page 3.You Were Right chronicles everyday people and everyday things -- tongue in cheek, of course -- such as remembering where you were when John Lennon, Kurt Cobain and Frank Sinatra died. Oh, and there's also turning down amorous advances from your neighbour (who just happens to be Madonna), because you love your wife and child too much. Like Silent Sigh, this is another very good offering. Keep it going, Badly.

BEBEL GILBERTO, SO NICE Out now, Eastwest

GIVE that tired electric-pop formula a Brazilian and you get So nice.

What would be so nice, apparently, is to find someone to hold your hand and stay with you forever.

Madonna cracked this format 20 years ago but it seems if in doubt . . .

Rosie Ribbons -- Blink (Out now, Telstar)

POPIDOL finalist Rosie Ribbons offers an R&B sound that sounds like a cross between Britney Spears and Anastacia. Apparently, all she has to do is blink and her man is playing around. Well, stop blinking. It's decent, so when you hear Popidol winner Gareth Gates butcher The King's Suspicious Minds, you wonder whether the "best man" did win. And isn't Rosie Ribbons a great name?

LONGVIEW

WHEN YOU SLEEP

Out now, 4.45 Recordings

PUT a male singer to Sleeper's fantastic hit, What do I do now?, and Robert's your father's brother.

Very, very good from the Manchester outfit.

MEW

AM I WRY? NO

Out now, Evil Office

DANISH foursome Mew seem to have asked and answered their own question: am I twisted? Na.

It would probably have been more interesting if the answer was yes, but that's by the way in a decent rock track with haunting vocals from Jonas Bjierre.

Mcalmont & Butler -- Bring It Back (Out now, EMI)

MCALMONT and Butler's summer album, Bring It Back, was one of the surprises of the year, taking up one word in August -- brilliant. And this is why. Imagine a more soulful version of Charles & Eddie with a pop beat. Heavenly vocals, catchy tunes -- the album is full of them.

MORCHEEBA

WAY BEYOND

Out now, Eastwest

THIS is the first single from Morcheeba's fourth Top Ten albums and it's excellent.

Heavenly vocals breathe life into a tale about living way beyond your means, with cars and Rolex watches. I prefer Cartier, myself.

Anyway, it's a Macy Gray type of track, without the Macy Grayness.

Pod -- Satellite (Out now, Atlantic)

POD are one of those bands whose heavy bass/hard rock approach makes you understand how someone can "explode" on to the music scene. I loved Youth Of The Nation, and this is right up there with it.

TRACY CHAPMAN

YOU'RE THE ONE

Out now, Elektra

YOU cannot help but hear the name Tracy Chapman and think of Fast car.

That is her blessing and her curse, because that's what everything she does is compared to.

This has more of a country feel to it, as we hear "You are the one for me."

It's a decent, catchy effort.

Tracy's new album, Let it rain, is out Monday.

SAMANTHA MUMBA

I'M RIGHT HERE

Out now, Universal

THIS is a call to women to put their hands on their hips and wait for Mr Right -- intelligent, a perfect gentleman, more than a lover, a best friend -- an "I'm right here" sort of thing.

With a Destiny's Child feel to it, it's a very good R&B anthem but, in all honesty girls, I think you'll have a long wait.

Doves -- Caught By The River (Out now, EMI)

THE now unmistakable Doves sound sets these boys ahead of the pack. They was robbed of the Mercury Music Prize but with songs like this there will be plenty more awards ahead.

Doves land at Manchester Apollo on December 7.

ALED JONES

ALED

Out now, Universal

SONGS of praise presenter singing his favourites would normally send me running for the hills but -- here goes what little street cred I have -- this is pretty good.

Beautiful is the best way to describe it, as he offers us My life flows on, All through the night, I believe, and Pie Jesu.

There are also two tracks in his native Welsh.

Well worth a listen.

ALBUMS

LUPINE HOWL

THE BAR AT THE END OF THE WORLD

Out now, Beggars Banquet

WHEN the lead singer of a group says: "As long as you got a grave, you got somewhere to go," you might wonder about Ozzy Osbourne's status as The Prince of Darkness.

But the bats are safe -- for the time being -- as this is more of a chill-out album, the pic of which is Don't lose your head, a ballad about controlling your emotions.

Howl on.

UNCLE KRACKER

NO STRANGER TO SHAME

Out now, Atlantic

AFTER his top-three hit Follow me, another Detroit export (who can forget Eminem?) is back with a parental advisory warning.

Not quite as in-your-face as Mr Mathers, Uncle K's redneck country style is easy to listen to, with the odd bit of rap thrown in.

The track of the album is I do, similar to Ryan Adams's New York, New York.

Definitely worth a listen.

GODRON HASKELL

SHADOWS ON THE WALL

Out now, Warner

IT'S that voice again, excellent and soothing.

I'll shut up and let you get on with it.

Another first-class offering.

THE DELGADOS

HATE

Out now, Mantra

IF this wasn't such a good album, I'd say ignore it, but it is worth getting the anti-depressives out for.

The title, Hate, is a bit of a giveaway that it has a negative tone, especially in tracks like All you need is hate, The drowning years, and Child killers.

The pick of the bunch is Coming in from the cold, a Beautiful South type of offering about Fate.

Very good and very thought-provoking.

AUDIOVENT

DIRTY SEXY KNIGHTS IN PARIS

Out now, Atlantic

THIS is Puddle of Mudd/POD-style Californian rock that oozes energy.

Worth a listen.

JACKSON BROWNE

THE NAKED RIDE HOME

Out now, Elektra

OFFER a woman a ride home and dare her to undress on the way. Then, you drive along smugly in the knowledge that only you can see her beauty as you pass other cars.

Give it a country feel and you can almost get away with it.

That gives the feel for what is a decent album.

LEVEL 42

THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION

Out now, Polydor

LEVEL 42 fans are in for a treat. The rest of us aren't.

The only glimmer of hope among the 29 tracks is the instantly-recognisable Lessons in love.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

NOW DANCE 2003

VIRGIN came up with the hottest hits of 2002 as early as January but this takes the biscuit -- 2003's dance tunes three months early.

Anyway, there's decent stuff here: Atomic Kitten's The tide is high; Leanne Rimes Life goes on; Liberty X Just a little; and that annoying Aserje (The Ketchup song), by Girlzz.

The other usual suspects include Kylie, PPK and Ian van Dahl, so it makes for good listening, but you wonder when 2004's hits will be out.

GIG GUIDE

TOWARDS the end of the gig, Mercury-nominated Kathryn Williams urged us to buy her new single so she will be invited on Top of the Pops and "meet Darius", writes Mike Bancroft.

It's an endearing notion but, by that point in the evening, having been seduced by the winsome songstress, we were ready to do as she asked.

The Manchester Dancehouse show was essentially an outing to promote the singer-songwriter's third album, the jazz-influenced Old low light. The majority of the set was taken from it, although she included favourites from her first two LPs.

The band is the perfect low-fi accompaniment for Williams's smoke and honey vocal style.

Between songs, clearly nervous, she relates stories and anecdotes.

Beatles, from the new album, was inspired, she tells us, by a hitchhiker who probably should have been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Other stand-out songs include Swimmer, about her first manager, and the current single, No one takes you home, which recalls the Velvet Underground's Heroin. Appropriate, as the encore, the Velvets' What goes on, was a fitting end to a charming evening.