The Best Air Guitar Album In The World...Ever - various (Virgin)

EVERY time rock music is declared dead, a new breed of guitar slingers steps forth, and another generation of fans reach for an imaginary axe and begin flailing. Yes, the art of air guitar is not confined to sad old guys in Rainbow T-shirts. It is also the preserve of sad young guys in Weezer T-shirts.

This wonderful compilation draws from several eons of guitar heroism, from Chuck Berry to the Kinks to Motorhead to Metallica ... right on down to Wheatus's Teenage Dirtbag.

The only common thread is riffage so infectious that you just want to conjure a six-string from thin air. This is a superbly well-chosen collection, which realises that the Surfaris' Wipe Out and Joe Satriani's Surfing With The Alien are but different sides of the same coin.

All the obvious tracks are there: Deep Purple's Smoke On The Water, Rainbow's Since You've Been Gone, Derek and the Dominoes' Layla, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird and ZZ Top's Gimme All Your Lovin'. Keeping the art of air guitar alive are more recent additions such as Robbie Williams Let Me Entertain You, Blur's Song 2 and the Foo Fighters' Monkey Wrench. Erm, rock on!

World Of Our Own - Westlife (RCA)

IN the science of the boy band, the Take That Theorem has it that the ''best album to date'' is usually the last. Growing up is fatal to the career. Soppy boys singing soppy songs is one thing ... soppy men singing soppy songs is quite another. World Of Our Own is touted as Westlife's ''best album to date,'' and it does have some top quality, if soppy, songs. The clock's ticking, chaps.

Small World, Big Band - Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra and friends (Warners)

THE eclectic feel of his splendid Later programme is extended into Jools Holland's latest album. So you get a list of special guests which runs from Jamiroquai to Taj Mahal, Stereophonics to Suggs.

For many, however, the interest will be in the first new song in 10 years from George Harrison - Horse To The Water, which is a pleasant enough rocker made perhaps better than it deserved to be by Holland's superb band.

Mick Hucknall turns in a convincingly bluesy performance of T-Bone Shuffle, Mica Paris and David Gilmour are sublime on I Put A Spell On You, Jay Kay has fun with I'm In The Mood For Love and Clapton is on blisteringly good form for What Would I Do Without You. Hell, it's all great. Buy it now.

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