The long awaited follow-up to "Bilingu-al", the Pet Shop Boys with Nightlife have probably released one of their best discs to date. Fans of the group will not be able to take this off their player. This collection of dance-techno-pop pieces finds the Pet Shop Boys tongue-in-cheek and at times, poignant lyrics addressing adolescent insecurity and a search for illusive love merging with their gift for creating infectious melodies and rhythms. "Vampires" and "The Only One" are wonderful mood pieces; similar to those on "Behaviour" while the opening tracks, "For Your Own Good" and "Closer to Heaven" are some of the best techno-pop pieces that they have written. "Boy Strange" seems like something that Bowie could have covered on his new release. Maybe their recent collaborations have rubbed off.

     David Bowie has also brought out one of his best in a long time. Hours... is a good collection of pop songs, more intro-spective and honest than we have perhaps ever seen from him. Working with guitars, bass and drums and minimum electronic effects, this CD co-written and produced with Reeves Gabrels, a long time associate, who was also responsible for some of the strongest songs on "1.Outside", finds him harking back to the days of "Hunky Dory" and perhaps "Ziggy Stardust". With the opening track "Thursday's Child", we are treated to a wonderful pop song that should get a lot of radio play. "Seven" reminds me of something that could have been done on Hunky Dory. At only 47 minutes in length it seems to be over a little to quickly but still a good value for money.

     tin hat trio on their release memory is an elephant, treat us to a wonderful collection of pieces that makes one feel they have just walked in to a French cafe or bar. Shades of early French jazz mix with Piazzolla to create a thoroughly charming release. This San Francisco based trio consists of Mark Orton on acoustic guitar, Rob Burger on accordion and Carla Kihlstedt on violin. Though all classically trained musicians who have paid their dues working in a variety of rock and pop bands as well as associating with the likes of Bill Frisell, John Zorn, Philip Glass and Tom Waits, here, they weave in out of mostly compositions by Orton like seasoned jazz musicians. This all-acoustic affair is what is needed when relaxing on a Sunday afternoon with a glass of wine or cappuccino in hand.

     Vladimir Ashkenazy's re-cent release of Dimitri Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues took 2 years to record, but has occupied this pianists' mind for much longer. Shostakovich comple-ted the set in 1951 and this is one of his few works for the piano. This wonderful set of miniatures, based on the famous 48 by Bach, was written specifically for the Russian pianist Tatyana Nikolaieva and being very technically and interpretative demanding, this composition has rarely been recorded in its entirety. Compared to other works by the composer, these pieces capture a much more varied collection of emotions. A well worth set to see a different side of this complex and often, misunderstood composer.

     Sergei Prokofiev, a gifted pianist and com-poser, wrote his First Piano Concerto when he was only 21 and along with his Third Piano Concerto, these pieces have become mainstays in the classical piano concerto repertoire. A recent recording of these concertos has been made with the pianist Martha Argerich and conductor Charles Dutoit with the Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal. Argerich looks back upon her 30 years of performing these pieces and provides a much more tempered and mature interpretation while maintaining the energy that is so important to these compositions, wonderfully supported by Dutoit. These performances apparently brought down the roof in their concerts at Carnegie Hall.q