U2: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Island)

U2 are back after a near five-year absence and it's like they were never away. Bono saving Africa aside, the boys have picked up from where they left off with All That You Can't Leave Behind in 2000 by offering more of the same. With The Edge's guitars and Bono's even more distinctive voice, it's U2 by numbers. But they can still knock out decent rock tunes. Fans will love it.

VARIOUS: New Jazz Generation (Universal)

WITH the rise and rise of jazz over the last year or so, it was only ever going to be a matter of time before the first compilation CD appeared. Thankfully, it's a cracker. The CD sleeve reads like a Who's Who of the big jazz-leaning names of the current times. Joss Stone, Jamie Cullum, Norah Jones, Katie Melua, Michael Buble and Diana Krall are all here, along with Amy Whitehouse, Soweto Kinch, Gwyneth Herbert and Clare Teal. With Christmas around the corner, this album provides the ideal accompaniment to a chilled-out hour away from the festive stress. It's released on Monday.

VARIOUS: Platinum: The Definitive R&B Collection (BMG)

AN eclectic mix of artists here help this double CD stand out from a crowded R&B marketplace. While many concentrate on trying to outdo each other to bring the most controversial current singles, this one just tries to bring together some of the most popular R&B tracks from recent years. George Michael and Aretha Franklin's I Knew You Were Waiting sits next to Beyonce's Crazy in Love, which is followed by Usher's You Make Me Wanna and Justin Timberlake's Cry Me A River. It's like that all the way through, taking listeners on a journey via Toni Braxton, Sisqo, Ja Rule, R Kelly, Outkast, Black Eyed Peas, Nelly, Luther Vandross, Macy Gray and Fugees.