Album of the week: Chris Moyles - The Parody Album ****

Nov 26 2009

Chris Moyles - The Parody Album ****

Love him or hate him, it's impossible to deny the impact Chris Moyles has had on Radio 1. And the BBC station's longest-serving breakfast presenter has, over the years, created his own versions of some modern pop classics. From his take on Britney's Womanizer (called Lorrydriver), to his own cover of Tom Jones's Sex Bomb (Big Bum), this debut album is full of his comedy tunes. Granted, he probably won't win a Grammy for it, but the tunes are relatively amusing. After a while they do become slightly repetitive, and you'll have to be a big fan to listen to all 20 of them in a row.

Snow Patrol - Up To Now ***

SNOW Patrol have been going for 15 years now and this album charts their development. All five studio albums are represented from Fifteen Minutes Old, originally on 1998 debut Songs For Polar bears, to Take Back The City, which featured on last year's latest offering A Hundred Million Suns. This mix of old and new is complemented by the inclusion of live recordings and B-sides, which gives the album a non-linear sound. A challenging and beautiful past that is worth revisiting.

The Priests - Harmony ****

THE self-titled debut from the trio of Roman Catholic priests proved to be a great success when released last year. While it would be easy to criticise brothers Martin and Eugene O'Hagan and fellow Reverend David Delargy for what is, of course, a marketing dream-come-true, their talent is clear to hear. From the opening song How Great Thou Art through to the wintery Silent Night, this is another strong album. As a classical release, it's a success.

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster ****

LADY Gaga has treated her fans to an album's worth of new material to accompany a slightly-tweaked version of her hugely popular debut. New tracks include the sophisticated Eurodance of latest single Bad Romance, full-throttle Beyonce collaboration Telephone and the pure pop brilliance of the offthe-wall Monster. Together with hits such as Pokerface, Paparazzi and Just Dance, this is a brilliant package that definitely provides great value for money.