Stars Beneath My Feet is a greatest-hits compilation from English singer/songwriter James Blunt. Along with some of his most well-known tracks, including "You're Beautiful" and "Cold," the record features four original songs as well as a selection of live performances.© Liam Martin /TiVo

After the one-two punch of Phil Collins' first two solo albums, Face Value and Hello, I Must Be Going!, plus the hits he was concurrently having with Genesis, it might seem like he was primed for an artistic and commercial drop-off. Instead, he responded with the biggest album of his career. No Jacket Required topped the charts in the U.S. and U.K., won a Grammy for Album of the Year, and spawned four Top Ten singles, including two number ones in "Sussudio" and "One More Night." It was such a monster success that it made Collins one of the biggest stars on the planet, something that a few years before seemed unlikely if not impossible. The reason why No Jacket was such a smash is simple: it combined the aching honesty of Face Value with the pop smarts of Hello, added some seriously focused songwriting, then coated it all in slick digital production that sounded great on the radio. Collins' gift for a huge hook came through most obviously on the Prince-inspired "Sussudio," where he turns nonsense into something almost profound, but also on tracks like the big rocker "I Don't Wanna Know" and the soulful "Inside Out," which featured some of his trademark gated drum bashing. His knack for spilling his guts in heartbreaking everyman fashion hits a new high on "One More Night," one of the most affecting ballads of the '80s. When he combines the hooks and the heartbreak, it comes together brilliantly. "Take Me Home" is a wrenching, soaring song that inspires singalongs and teardrops; "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore" has the perfect combo of big drums, the catchy chorus, and the weary heart. Add in flashy radio monsters like "Don't Lose My Number" and "Only You Know and I Know" that retain the horn-heavy sound of his earlier work while adding up-to-date keyboards, the even more Prince-inspired "Who Said I Would," and the closing piano ballad "We Said Hello Goodbye," and No Jacket Required ends up earning all the sales and accolades it got. Collins was at the top of his considerable game, the sound was state of the art, and there were more classic songs on one record than most pop stars could put together in an entire career. Too bad its chart and airwave dominance was so great that it inspired something of a backlash, one Collins never really recovered from despite having more hits in the future. While Face Value is still his solo masterpiece due to the raw emotion it transmits, No Jacket Required comes very, very close to topping it.© Tim Sendra /TiVo

3 Stars - Good - "...On EVOLUTION, Oleta Adams niftily avoids the fabled sophomore slump by working a more narrowly focused musical terrain than on her more adventurous debut album. Where CIRCLE OF ONE mixed its genres, EVOLUTION is mostly big vibrant pop ballads...."© TiVo

With Grace, his first full-length statement as a bandleader, songwriter/guitarist Jeff Buckley sets out upon a road less traveled, avoiding the safe and predictable in favor of the ecstatic and the personal. Not that such obvious influences as the Beatles and Led Zeppelin have disappeared from this young talent's music. Buckley's voice is an exquisitely malleable instrument, and from his daring vaults into the upper registers to his long, enraptured middle-register ornaments and moans, he suggests the breakthroughs of a young Robert Plant or Van Morrison. Songs like "The Last Goodbye" (with its coy slide intro and raga-ish string backgrounds) and "Lover, You Should've Come Over" (with its late Beatles harmonies and Edith Piaf vocal ornaments) are powerful evocations of failing relationships ("too young to hold on, and too old to just break free and run"). "Lilac Wine" and "Hallelujah" feature his glassy, translucent guitar and poignant vocals in mystical, folkish settings, while "Dream Brother" achieves an almost Doors-like melancholy. Elsewhere, Buckley showcases his new band's power on "Mojo Pin" and "Eternal Life," which draw upon blues imagery and metaphors to create a subtle, hard-rocking atmosphere.© TiVo

Hemi Hemingway, the project of London based New Zealander Shaun Blackwell, graces us with a six track EP that can only be described as utterly refreshing. Instead of following the post-punk trend of London, or the surf rock scene of New Zealand, Blackwell embraces the somewhat neglected sound of 60’s doo-wop, and he does so with finesse and charm. Hemi Hemingway can be described as a slick, heartbroken crooner who sings the hell out of the blues. The opening track, Burnin’ Blue, puts the roll in rock and roll. Blackwell’s lilting voice picks you up and carries you over the walking bass, through various guitar riffs, until, in classic lounge-singer fashion, he breaks off into spoken word. Blackwell’s native New Zealand accent becomes very apparent in this section which is beautiful to hear as traditional intonation can so often be lost in music. This also provides us with a gentle nod to his indigenous heritage, as his pseudonym is adopted from the Māori name Hemi, which has the same meaning as his first name. The standout track of this collection is definitely Hemi’s Lament, which reminds the listener ever so slightly of a slowed-down version of R.E.M’s Losing My Religion. Blackwell’s deep vocals sit clearly below the twang of the guitar, before rolling smoothly into the final track My Lover, A Strange Her. This track features sounds that, to a native from Aotearoa or Australia, are very distinct. The subtle chirping of crickets, cicadas and night birds subtly round the EP out to a close without being cliche. This EP is dripping in references to literature, New Zealand and old-timey influences like the Shangri-La’s and the Ronettes, feminising the almost hyper-masculine idea of the traditional crooner. Although we are blessed with these six, cohesive songs, it will be exciting to see what Hemi Hemingway brings to us next. © Jessica Porter-Langson / Qobuz

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