Jay-Z, Nas and Ghostface Killah; the holy trinity of NYC rap, all just a few years off 40, all at the top of their game, all released albums at the end of last year. And the prize for the best of those three records has to go to Ghostface for a meticulous and consistent record. There are coke deals and shoot-outs in 'Miguel Sanchez', love stories in 'Gotta Hold One' and cautionary tales of addiction in 'Josephine', an astonishingly tender track. While this mightn't sell as much as Ghostface's younger more popular rivals, at least it's the real deal.

Download: 'You Know I'm No Good', 'Miguel Sanchez', 'Alex (Stolen Script)' Una Mullally

Frank Sinatra Vegas Reprise (4 CDs) . . . . .

This four-CD set captures Sinatra at his persuasive best, by capturing him in his most natural environment, the Las Vegas casino lounge. Included are shows from 1961 and 1966 at the Sands (which Sinatra co-owned), 1978 and 1982 at Caesars Palace, and 1987 at the Golden Nugget; and though the later performances are slightly clotted with nostalgia, the earlier shows are replete with brio and good humour. What's particularly notable, in contrast to his studio recordings, is how relaxed and selfdeprecating Sinatra can be.

Download: 'Just One Of Those Things', 'I've Got You Under My Skin', 'Witchcraft' Andy Gill John Lee Hooker Hooker Shout Factory (4 CDs) . . . . .

What comes across on this four-CD set is the sheer consistency and dedication of John Lee Hooker's career: it's the work of an artist who knew he had tapped into something sublime, and kept plugging away at that one thing until the world shifted to hear things his way. This set covers the bluesman's output from his 1948 breakthrough single 'Boogie Chillen' through hits such as 'Dimples' and 'Boom Boom', to his guest-laden '90s comeback albums.

Download: 'Boogie Chillen', 'Dimples', 'Boom Boom', 'Let's Go Out Tonight' AG

David Crosby Voyage Atlantic (3 CDs) . . .

This set tracks David Crosby's career chronologically across the first two discs, with the third given over to demos and out-takes. You're not likely to play CDs two and three much, as the first covers Crosby's upward trajectory through the Byrds, early CSN and CSNY, and his solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name, while the second offers a decade or two of dissipation, leavened only by the occasional shaft of insight like 'Compass', a jailhouse reflection on addiction.

Download: 'Almost Cut My Hair', 'Eight Miles High', 'Guinnevere', 'Triad' AG