Singles

THE CHARLATANS: Love is The Key, (Universal Island) -- The best single to arrive on the Pulse desk this week. Tim Burgess and Co are back with a big, brash, rock 'n' soul record, an aggressive reminder of what we've been missing. CL (9/10)

MUSE: Bliss, (Mushroom) -- The trio are back with an excellent follow-up to their hit Newborn. With a rather psychedelic intro, the song progresses into a rock chorus complete with Matthew Bellamy's trademark falsetto vocals. An exciting offering and one which will no doubt bring Muse further success. CC (9/10)

MISSY ELLIOTT: One Minute Man (Elektra) -- The next single from the queen of hip-hop has a more R 'n' B feel. Raunchy vocals and defined beat should ensure it does OK if not as popular as the massive, Get Ur Freak On. CC (7/10)

Albums

GRAHAM COXON: Crow Sit On Blood Tree, (Transcopic) -- Best known as the guitarist from Blur, Graham Coxon brings us his third solo album. His first was a nod in the direction of cult American act Pavement and the second was just an over indulgent collection of thrashed out, grunge numbers that had me reaching for headache tablets. So it's a bit of a surprise that this album not only features some decent tunes but an acoustic guitar as well. Tracks like, All has gone and Too Uptight, suggest he's been listening to plenty of Badly Drawn Boy, but it's not all easy listening. The harder elements of his electric guitar work still remain, but what sets it apart from his earlier stuff, is that this time the mix is just right. CL (9/10) MO SOLID GOLD: Brand New Testament, (EMI Chrysalis) -- IN a world of overpolished plastic pop we should be giving Mo Solid Gold the red carpet treatment. They play with the energy and passion of a great Rock 'n' Roll band in the making and in singer K they have a vocalist who emulates and matches the mighty Mick Jagger. Yes, the are very retro and the raw recording simply adds to the effect. Yes, it's all been done before but amazingly it's like a breath of fresh air. CL (8/10)