Kenny G: Faith (Arista)
THE ultimate nightmare before Christmas would probably sound a little like this "holiday album" by the grand wazoo of easy listening, Kenny Gorelick. Picture the scene: you're browsing round another giant department store when you notice the soporific sound of Kenny G's saxophone cascading out of the tannoy. Before you can find the emergency exit, your ears have been assaulted by the muzak-lite tones of The First Noel, Sleigh Ride and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. You panic, lose your bearings, and are soon groping around the lingerie section in a desperate quest for an escape route. You spot an elevator door, leap in and press the `down' button - but the lift lurches in mid-descent, leaving you stuck for the holidays with just a bag of mince pies and the timeless sound of Kenny G to keep you company . . .
Kevin Courtney
Various Artists: Friends Again (Reprise)
Thanks to endless repeats on Sky One and Channel 4, I'm suffering from terminal Friends fatigue, but if you've ever watched these normal white folk as they interact with hilarious results, then you'll know their tastes in music are rather straight, hardly stretching beyond Hootie & The Blowfish or that band which does the theme tune for the series. So it's no surprise to find the likes of Smash Mouth, Semisonic, Lisa Loeb and The Waltons on here, along with Robbie Williams doing Pet Shop Boys and The Pretenders doing Smelly Cat. But just so we don't think Ross, Rachel, Joey, Monica, Chandler and Phoebe are, like, uncool, the album ends with a rap remix of the Friends theme. Like wow.
Kevin Courtney
Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap: The Tunnel (Def Jam)
Many will know Funkmaster Flex from his slots on New York's Hot 97, the city's leading hip-hop and R&B radio station. Every Sunday, he leaves the studio and heads to The Tunnel to deliver a set of hip-hop bangers to a packed club. A swaggering set of rough and tough cuts, this soundtrack for those sessions has Flex and MC Big Kap topping, tailing and even dipping into tracks from Ruff Ryders, Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Lil Kim, various Wu-Tang Clan names and more. It mightn't be wholly representative of the city but for a taste of New York hip-hop at the end of the 20th century, look no further.
Jim Carroll
Russian Lullaby: Various Artists (Moon Note)
Compiled and produced by Jeannette Byrne for the organisation To Russia With Love, all profits go to "the 140 forgotten children living in an orphanage in Hortolova, Western Russia". The honourable intentions are backed by music that is equally pure of spirit; Byrne's caressing reading of the Ella Fitzgerald recording Russian Lullaby, Mary's Black's warm-hearted Wonderchild and soothing songs of hope from Leslie Dowdall, Lorraine O' Reilly, Mary Coughlan and Orla. Purest of all are the voices of the Burrow School Choir from Sutton singing Through The Night Thy Angels Kept. A glorious album, in every sense.
Joe Jackson
