A new type of music that definitely should not be labeled as a trend is being pumped out by Jamiroquai, filling your ears with a mixture of massive funk, jazz and rhythm & blues. One of the most impressive features of the album is the high-quality sound produced by the band.

The first single, Space Cowboy, is filled with up-tempo beats and lots of energy, which makes the song danceable. The band then shows its diversity when switching from fast-paced songs to the albums strong, rich sounding ballads like Morning Glory.

Also included on the album is a live version of Light Years, truly expressing the group’s creative talent. The lead singer has an unusual first tenor voice that captures the listeners ear. Overall, this CD is a must for music lovers of all kinds. A

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It is safe to say that anyone who avidly listened to Teenage Fanclub’s hit album Bandwagonesque is probably wondering what has happened to the band since. And with the band’s new release Grand Prix, old fans of Fanclub can now plainly see the band has gone nowhere but downhill.

Though it is good to have influences, Grand Prix is a collection of songs that sound exactly like a million other folk-rock songs. Songs like the Tom Pettyish About You and the Boomtown Rats rip-off Tears make the album good, but it’s a disappointment from a band who seemed like one of the premiere up- and-coming bands of the 90s. C

On its new release Foma, the Nixons have created an album that is just as bad as the man they were named after.

Though the album contains some impressive heavyweight guitar work, the singing and lyrics leave much to be desired.

Most of the songs are religious-based bible-bashings that make Skid Row’s first release sound like the greatest album of the 80s. Tracks that explore the bands’ feeling toward Christianity include JLM, which starts off with a girl singing Jesus Loves Me only to be interrupted on the last line by guitar distortion. Though it seems the band is honestly sincere about what they are preaching, it’s just very hard to take the Nixons seriously. F

That Dog Totally Crushed Out (DGC)

With an album containing songs that developed while touring, That Dog has created one of the better power-pop albums in recent years on its first release, Totally Crushed Out. By mixing guitar distortion with harmonic vocals, the band has developed a very unique sweet and sour sound.

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Songs like Ms. Wrong exhibit Anna Waronker’s fresh soft vocals with overloaded guitar riffs. The band then shows its diversity on the folky Anyone by putting away the aggression and bringing on the charm. But what makes the album so distinct is Petra Haden’s violin on songs like He’s Kissing Christian, and Silently. Power-pop has been on the receiving end of a lot of cheap shots over the years. This album is a shot back. A