Even as greatest hits packages go, this is an utter gem. Every song is inspired, in a class of its own, whether the proper version of"I Shot the Sheriff", the hymnlike"No Woman, No Cry" or the sheer joy of"Jamming". Even allowing that Marley never wrote any bad material, Legend is still the crème de la crème , the heart and soul of the Jamaican people packed into one five-inch compact disc. He was unique, and the message of this record, more than any other, is that he died far too soon. --Chris Nickson

Already the year’s most hyped new artist--not only first in the BBC’s famously unreliable poll of new talent and recipient of a special Brit award devised just for her--Florence Welsh has a lot to live up to, and thankfully the artfully titled and sleeved <em>Lungs</em> justifies the investment. The singles are undeniably the standouts. The impressive"Dog Days Are Over", neurotic and fierce, and the slightly more reserved follow-up"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" lead her debut collection, sometimes overshadowing her other material. Yet the extremes of"Kiss With A Fist", a jokey celebration of mutual domestic violence and noisy guitars that shamelessly steals its melody from the White Stripes’ charming"We Are Gonna Be Friends", and the showstopping, almost unashamedly stagy"Girl With One Eye" show off both her development and an already instantly recognisable voice. The gallows humour of songs like"Between Two Lungs", the daft"My Boy Builds Coffins" and the ferocious"Hurricane Drunk" where she threatens"I’m gonna drink myself to death" backed by a spirited choir of Florences, save her from accusations of self-absorption. The concluding, and hugely loud"Blinding" is all Kate Bush tics over bruising drum patterns. So a straightforward and affectionate cover of the classic Candi Staton and Source club banger"You’ve Got The Love", previously only available online, comes as a welcome chance to get one’s breath back. Much better than an apparent plan to position her as some kind of missing link between PJ Harvey and Avril Lavigne suggested, <em>Lungs</em> is a clever, catchy set, yet unresolved enough to sustain curiosity<em><em>.--Steve Jelbert<br /></em></em>