One of the most unique talents in British music, Lady Sovereign, is back with her new album, even if you hate her, you have to admit she has something. Proof that she is more than a one-trick-pony arrives with new album ‘Jigsaw’, which sees the diminutive rapper turn her original sound on its head somewhat. Now that she is in control of her marketing, promotion and everything else, the Lady Sovereign machine is free to create.

This is a much more uplifting album than previous work. Uplifting and at times somewhat euphoric, it boasts some excellent songs such as Let’s Be Mates, which demonstrates that her lyrical prowess is undiminished. ‘So Human’ samples the Cure’s ‘Close to me’ to great effect, and actually utilizes the music of the original very well.

The title track is slightly more introspective, but on the whole the album marks the start of a brighter time in her career. Mixing pop, rap, indie, electronic and more, ‘Jigsaw’ is a strong album that proves that an artist can produce something decent when given the reigns over the whole thing.

This excellent documentary follows the misadventures- and indeed adventures- of faded 80s metal icons Anvil. While their contemporaries went on to sell millions, Anvil, erm, didn’t.

This is the story of their determined struggle to never let the dream die, even if it means playing to four people in a bar in the middle of mainland Europe, not getting paid, and getting turned down by every record company around.

Funny, poignant, uplifting and surprisingly moving, this is a fantastic piece of documentary filmmaking from Sacha Gervasi that manages to capture the absurdity of the metal scene and life on the road while never making the band themselves seem foolish.

There are moments where you’ll be laughing, but there are more moments where you just want to shake their hands for being so dedicated and such decent people. There is real joy for them in what they do, and it is that unabashed enthusiasm that makes them, for the duration of the film at least, seem like the greatest band that have ever played a note together.

Billed as the best rock movie since the classic Spinal Tap film, this is superior to that film as this is true, not a spoof, and it gives viewers a very heartfelt and honest look into the lives of a bunch of guys who refuse to let their dreams die.

This is to be commended, and quite honestly, this film deserves every bit of praise that it gets. Brilliant.

The tabloids’ favourite Little Miss Smarmy is back with another album of twee pop and knowing lyrics. In the middle of all the news stories about her, it can be easy to forget that she sings for a living, and doesn’t just flop around in front of cameras in a bid to make sure people don’t forget her single gormless expression.

Anyway, the girl who found fame via her Myspace page is back, whether you like it or not.

On this new album, her sugary vocals are again wrapped around lyrics that will make fans giggle into their ringtones and ex boyfriends looking up the number of their solicitor. It is more of the same, but a little less so. It seems that the past 2 years of media attention have taken their toll on Allen’s musical prowess, leaving these songs somewhat lacking in direction.

Where her first album was a lesson in singalong, nursery rhyme pop with cutting lyrics that bordered on the intelligent, the wit is turned down a notch here.

Single ‘The Fear’ is a standout, but that’s mainly because most other tracks sound like lesser versions of it. The edge that her debut had, the samples and the dirt, have been smoothed out and have left the music dangerously close to the sort of thing you would hear on a Sunday morning in B&Q.

It will sell by the truckload, but it will be downloaded even more. I bet there’s a song in that somewhere.

There’s more to Lady Gaga than just a ripped-off 80s look. There’s a bunch of ripped-off pop songs with cheesy 90s synths too. While the sings may be memorable, there’s nothing new or innovative on offer here, and after all the furore made about Lady Gaga’s style ideas, the music is surprisingly insipid, lifeless and dull.

Coming across as a hybrid of Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera, with copious amounts of ‘fashion’ ideas nicked from 80s sci-fi movies, Lady Gaga is going to need more than a memorable hook here and there to secure a lengthy career.

While there may well be an electro-pop revolution around the corner, it will need a better spokesperson than this vapid purveyor of by-the-numbers dance pop. All the prerequisite bells and whistles are here- robotic filters on vocals, standard synth progressions, monotonous beats.

What Ms Gaga seems to be missing is the slightest bit of personality that her forbears had in abundance.

Still, at least she isn’t Katy Perry. I guess that’s something to be thankful for.