Latest CD releases reviewed.

STEPHEN FRETWELL
Emily Fiction ****

Emily is one lyin', cheatin', heartbreaking ho, and Stephen don't wanna see her face no mo'. So, in true singer-songwriter fashion, he sits down at the piano and writes a gentle, cello-drenched goodbye. Better not to lose the head - just gently give her the elbow.

DEEP DISH
Say Hello Positiva ***

Hello, hello . . . In the shallow world of trance, Say Hello is probably the nearest you're gonna get to an intelligent Ibiza anthem. This follows the Grammy-winning duo's megahit, Flashdance, and also features Anousheh on vocals.

JOY ZIPPER
1   Vertigo ****

"Lying naked in the sun/Making eyes at everyone": sounds like the perfect summer holiday. Vinnie and Tabitha get the suntan oil out and kick back with some sweet, sundrenched sounds. Hey, you missed a bit there.

FIELD MUSIC
You Can Decide Memphis Industries ***

It's wiry up in the north-east. Sunderland's Brewis brothers avoid the spiky skank of their fellow scenesters Futureheads and Maximo Park, but there are strands of Wire running through their chilled, cerebral post-punk. Is it good? You decide.

LUCIE SILVAS
Don't Look Back Mercury **

With Celine Dion about to get a telegram from the Queen any day now, it's time to find a replacement for the superannuated chanteuse. This young starlet can certainly belt 'em out; looks like the record company have struck gold with Silvas.

TYLER JAMES
Your Woman Universal Island *

He could never be your woman - not with that terrible hairstyle. This is a karaoke cover of White City's sole hit, which featured a sample from a Bing Crosby song. How does that work? Do you have to sample the sample?

ESPERS
Riding Wichita Recordings ***

By the time these guys get to Woodstock . . . here's another lazy, psychedelic summer song, the hazy acoustic atmosphere broken only by the buzz of an e-bow. Get these hippies off my sundeck!