MORE often than not, the Great Band Reunion is a sure sign of creative stagnation, a desperate attempt to claw back the last vestiges of credibility. That couldn't really be said of Robert Plant, who has exhibited a healthy interest in new sounds, from folk to prog to desert blues, in his recent solo outings; but even allowing for his restless creativity, it's hard to convey the all-round excellence of Raising Sand. Never mind the Zep reunion . . . Plant should should think hard about extending this collaboration with Alison Krauss.

The seed of this project had its initial germination when the pair first sang together at a Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame tribute to Leadbelly. Their voices have the kind of perfect harmonic and timbral congruence that occurs rarely in any genre, with Plant reining in his naturally demonstrative flamboyance to fit snugly with Krauss's pure, high tones. The effect, on a song like 'Stick With Me Baby', is an extraordinary intimacy, Plant's hushed entreaties allowing her lustrous harmonies to burnish the lines to a sort of sonic satin-gloss finish. Graceful and elegant, it's a blend comparable to that created by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, or even . . . whisper it quietly . . . the heartrending duets of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris.

Crucial was the choice of T-Bone Burnett as producer.

He has furnished the duo with simple yet sumptous settings that impose compelling atmospheres while affording the voices ample space. Equally crucial was the choice of material, mostly classy but little-known songs from composers as diverse as Little Milton, Doc Watson, Townes Van Zandt, and Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, nearly all receiving treatments that somehow manage to be both definitive and transformative.

Sweet and stealthy performances of obscure songs like 'Rich Woman', 'Killing the Blues' and 'Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us' inescapably bring to mind the haunted sadness of Gram Parsons' Grievous Angel. There is no higher praise.

Download this: 'Killing the Blues', 'Gone, Gone, Gone', 'Polly Come Home', 'Please Read the Letter', 'Trampled Rose', 'Stick With Me Baby' Rock/Pop The Libertines Time For Heroes. . . The Best of The Libertines Rough Trade . . . . .

THE record label really is havin' a giraffe releasing a Best Of for a band who had just two records. But it is testament to the talent of this band that those two albums yielded so many classic indie tracks. All the tunes that made Pete Doherty, Carl Barat and co famous and infamous are here. But the overriding afterthought of this album is how lyrically awesome the Libs were in their day, and how neither Doherty's Babyshambles nor Barat's Dirty Pretty Things have yet captured what they had as a team.

Download: 'Can't Stand Me Now', 'What Became Of The Likely Lads', 'Time For Heroes'
Una Mullally

G Corp Meets the Mighty Tree Dub Plates From the Elephant House Volume Three . . .

DUB is a bit out of fashion at the moment, what with the sinister sounds of south London's dubstep stealing the limelight. And more boring than other progressive offshoots is this reggae-heavy dub.

There are some groovable moments here and as a package it's not bad . . . but if you're not in the mood, it's all a bit boring. It's nice background music but not deep enough for dancing. A lot of the guest vocals actually take away from the tracks. Funnily enough, the record is accompanied by a Jamaican food cook booklet, which should be just what you need when the munchies set in after digesting 15 tracks.

Download: 'D.U.B.' UM Paul Oakenfold Greatest Hits & Remixes Perfecto . . .

THE cover says it all: Oakenfold pointing jubilantly out from behind his decks into a stadium crowd of tens of thousands of people. Inside, there are three CDs of 35 gigantic tracks from the most enduring and one of the most successful 'superstar' DJs. It's an impressive back catalogue of 35 originals, remixes and covers. But the stand outs are the classics . . . his version of Grace's 'Not Over Yet' and the remix of Joyriders 'Big Brother' are overplayed and excellent. No matter how utterly cheesy and derivative trance as a genre has become, it's an album that makes you want to head to the early house and wreck it.

Download: 'Big Brother', 'Perfect', 'Faster Kill Pussycat'

UM

Westlife Back Home
Sony
BMG .

WESTLIFE are the pop equivalent of that female voice from the M&S ad.

This is not just a boyband, this is a sugar-soaked multi-shmulti-platinum, glossy, sickly-full boyband. This record . . . their ninth in eight years . . . is their worst to date. 'When I'm With You' sounds like an awful Daniel Bedingfield B-side and the rest is equally saccharine, forging carbon copy songs out of the same piano chord progressions. It's devoid of the occasional soul and liveliness that was present for some of Westlife's great pop songs. There is nothing here for anyone other than die-hard fans. It might be time to put these cash cows out to pasture.

UM

Jazz Marty Ehrlich/Myra Melford Spark !

Palmetto Records . . . .

ALONGSIDE many other highprofile, highly creative projects with other leading New Yorkers, saxophonist Marty Erlich and pianist Myra Melford have been playing in a duo together for seven years. And the proof is evident the minute you play Spark! . Duo playing is challenging, and therefore rare, but here are two musicians with the broad tastes, consummate ability and generous natures to carry it off. Weaving seamlessly in and out of each other's space, Erlich and Melford capture that special intimacy which characterizes the best duos and make some very challenging music very accessible.

Cormac Larkin Classical Schoenberg: Six Songs for Soprano and Orchestra Welch- Babidge/Robert Craft/Philharmonia Orchestra Naxos (78m 31s) . . . . .

Conductor Robert Craft, can lay claim not only to some of Naxos' best releases of late but also some of the best contributions to early 20th-century repertoire. Ranging from early to mid-Schoenberg, exclusively of the vocal variety, this collection boasts two wonderful performances from Jennifer Welch Babidge. Three solo choral works, as performed by the Simon Joly Chorale, harness a great range of dynamics and character. The engineering on this recording matches the excellence of the performances, imbuing Babidge's voice with a perfect clarity and warmth. Karen Dervan