By Chris Charles

ALBUMS

BOYZONE - WHERE WE BELONG (Polygram)

Could this be the Boyzone swansong? After seeing off Take That, they've grown from Boyz to men, with brides and children popping up all over the place. If TV careers and formerly forbidden fruits do spell the end of the line for the Irish idols, at least they're giving their fans value for money. Fifteen tracks, crammed with the usual teen-dream love topics, acoustic guitars and strings. Not everyone's cup of tea but one million schoolgirls can't be wrong.

Sisters are doing it for themselves! "We all have that dream to make it to the top..." the trio announce in the opening track "Cleopatra's Theme". Judging by this effort, co-written by the girls, they're virtually there. Hints of Eternal, Janet Jackson, En Vogue, Madonna, amongst others...but thankfully not a trace of Vanilla! And if you want to hear a perfect pop song, look no further than the truly wonderful "What You Gonna Do Boy?"

TRICKY - ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (Island)

There's a fine line between genius and madness, so we are told. Tricky, one of the most innovative musicians of his time, is a fully paid up member of the first group, but as this third album meanders into its second half, you do begin to wonder... The first few tracks are classic Tricky, disjointed grooves and panting vocals assisted by Martina and Polly Harvey. Then comes 200mph "The Moment I Feared" and manic, magic, drum-fuelled "Record Companies". The jury's still out.

LO-FIDELITY ALLSTARS - HOW TO OPERATE WITH A BLOWN MIND (Skint)

If a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, the Lo-Fis are the most wanted men in town. The seaside six have gone from the Dublin Castle to Kings of the Castle in the wink of an eye, thanks to some of the most innovative music heard on these fair shores for years. It's rock, electronica, big beats and samples. It's Mark E Smith lost in Space with Spacemen 3 during a sweet and sour trip through a fuddled brain. It's mind-blowing.

RUN DMC - GREATEST HITS 1983-1998 (Profile)

Jason Nevins must be owed a drink or two. Thanks to his blinding re-mix of "It's Like That", Run DMC have been transformed from washed-up rappers to the hottest thing on the dancefloor. And now they're cashing in with their second greatest hits album, including the afore-mentioned track, another tip-top remix of "It's Tricky", "Run's House" and "Walk This Way". One suspects this package may fare rather better than its predecessor.

SINGLES

NATALIE IMBRUGLIA -WISHING I WAS THERE (RCA)

It's time someone put you right, Nat. You're NOT Alanis Morissette, so don't bring yourself down to her level. After the stunning soaraway successes of Torn and Big Mistake, she appears to have left the passion on the Neighbours set in a bid to emulate her American rival. Just remember the old adage, "If it ain't broke...."

THE WISEGUYS - OOH LA LA (Wall Of Sound)

DJ Touche dips his toe in the skankin' summer waters with a big beat singalong that could lose its novelty value as the weeks go by.

BRIAN MAY - THE BUSINESS (A TRIBUTE TO COZY POWELL) Parlophone

It's a shame one of THE great rock drummers has to be remembered by such an ordinary song. One has to sympathise with Brian May at the tragic loss of his friend in a car crash, but the song, to coin a phrase, remains the same. In short it's a Robert Palmer drumbeat with forgettable guitar breaks and an even more forgettable vocal performance Why didn't someone re-release "Dance With The Devil" instead?

BRAN VAN 3000 - DRINKING IN L.A. (Capitol)

"We did absolutely nothing all day, what am I doing drinking in LA?" Sound familiar? Not the LA bit, of course, but it is a worryingly typical tale, flitting between a smooth male rapper and a throaty female soul singer. Lyrically a bit forced, but it's being championed by The Sun and any drinking song at this stage of the football calendar will go down well. Not sure about the name - must have been concocted over a beer or 10.

B*WITCHED - C'EST LA VIE (Glowworm)

Like it or not, you WILL know this song back to front before we hit June. It knocked Celine Dion off the top of the Box video charts (which can't be a bad thing) and now looks set to conquer the top 40 summit. The Dublin girls have come up with a near-perfect pop song, borrowing from the Jackson 5 and MmmBop, adding in an Irish jig and promising to "show you mine if you show me yours". The days of jobs for the BOYS are long gone. Oh well, c'est la vie.

PUBLIC ENEMY - HE GOT GAME (Mercury)

The hippest hoppers are back on the scene, it's like they were never away. All the young dudes are a little older now, but the years have not dimmed their creative juices. "He Got Game", from the forthcoming Spike Lee movie, successfully combines the smooth, flowing vocals of Chuck D et al with the Buffalo Springfield classic "For What It's Worth". If there's any justice in this world, it will propel Public Enemy back in the public eye.

KENICKIE - I WOULD FIX YOU (EMI)

The girls (and boys) have ditched their tough punkah image in favour of a St Etienne-style singalong, with its strumming guitars, angelic backing vocals and bouncy, summery chorus. It won't win Sunderland a place in the Premiership, but it might just cheer up Peter Reid.

LIONROCK - SCATTER AND SWING (Concrete) Another ska anthem, filled with trombones, trumpets and "magic powder". Not quite in the same class as Rude Boy Rock, but guaranteed to get the dancefloor moving.

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS - ICE HOCKEY HAIR EP (Creation)

Fed-up of all the World Cup songs before they've been released? You could do worse than adopt "Smokin'" as the theme for '98. Not particularly healthy, but the chanted "I Just Wanna Smoke It" (think "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy) chorus, would be perfect for Paul Gascoigne.

SPIRITUALIZED - THE ABBEY ROAD EP