KOOL AND THE GANG
The Hits: Reloaded
(Unique Corp)
THE band celebrate 40 years together with a patchy tribute album to themselves. The group have rounded up some decent guests to appear on revamped versions of their best-known songs, including Ashanti, Angie Stone, Jamiroquai and Jamelia. With 28 tracks, however, they have also been forced to rope in the C-list likes of Tony Hadley and Lulu. Most stick far too faithfully to the originals, but a handful have stamped their own mark on the disco classics. Sean Paul ‘s Ladies Night is a treat, Youssou N’Dour and Lauryn Hill collaborate on a lovely cover of Summer Madness and Lisa Stansfield’s jazzy Too Hot works surprisingly well.
ORBITAL
Blue Album
(Orbital Music)
ELECTRONIC dance pioneers Paul and Phil Hartnoll are calling it a day and play their last set as Orbital at Glastonbury. Their final album, meanwhile, is a mixed bag. There are flashes of genius — the gorgeous Transient, bizarre Bath Time and sensual One Perfect Sunrise — but frequently the Hartnolls strain to be quirky. You Lot sums up their problem. The song, which features a Christopher Eccleston speech about God, would sound great at a rave, but no one really goes to raves any more.
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CHRISTINE McVIE
In the Meantime
(Sanctuary)
THE former Fleetwood Mac keyboardist, singer and co-songwriter Christine McVie declined to join the group’s recent comeback tour and was said to have sworn off music. Yet she has moved to rural England and been quietly writing songs with her nephew, Dan Perfect, for her first solo album in 20 years. The result should appeal to obsessive Mac fans — McVie’s distinctive, bluesy vocals sound as good as they did on Rumours and there are a couple of Mac-like tracks, notably the catchy album opener Friend and the rocky Sweet Revenge . Bar the dreamy, percussion-backed Calumny, however, the rest is forgettable, musically dated and lyrically disappointing.