A&R; Grandma (Mavis to her close friends) has been 21 for well over the last 50 years. Who the hell's counting though? Especially when she has a musical knowledge and taste that would put many record company executives to shame. Over the coming months A&R; Grandma will review a variety of albums from a range of musical genres. The reviews will be sporadic as the process is somewhat time-consuming. (A&R; Grandma, when listening to records, insists on darkness and absolute silence, with no interruptions) However, we can guarantee that her opinion is always worth waiting for.

Kylie 'Fever' This reminds of the Fragma album. If I'd been upstairs I would have thrown myself out of a window. The songs themselves are quite good but the production and backing tracks are too similar. 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' is the stand-out track. I preferred this played loud and it's the sort of track I'd love to hear in a club. (I'm speaking from experience as I visited a club recently) 'Fragile' is also a good track but the rest of it is boring. 6/10


Louise 'Changing Faces... Best Of' I like this CD. There's a nice variety and feel to the record. I've followed Louise's career with interest over the years. There's nothing groundbreaking about this record, you get what you'd expect - pure pop. 7/10


Saint Etienne 'Smash The System' I have to admit I love Saint Etienne. They get a song, tweak it, throw it in the air and when it all falls down it's a winner. I prefer the Hits CD (disc one) and my favourite tracks are 'Filthy', 'Hug My Soul' and 'Who Do You Think You Are?' There are some great songs on the second CD including: 'Lose That Girl', '4.35 In The Morning' and 'Saturday'. Sarah's voice is beautiful; she stops you in your tracks and compels you to listen. They are just so good and the production is varied enough to keep you interested for the entire double-CD experience. 9/10


Fragma 'Toca' The first time I listened to this I couldn't even play it all the way through. It was just completely monotonous. If I had to listen to this in its entirety, I'd be a raving lunatic by the end. It has no variety and absolutely no redeeming features. In fact, I can't imagine having to review anything worse than this. 2/10


Matthew Jay 'Draw' I've been playing this CD over and over again. The music and songs improve with each listen. I would definitely go out and buy this CD (which means a lot if you're a Grandma). My favourite tracks are 'Remember This Feeling' and 'Let Your Shoulder Fall.' In fact, 'Call My Name Out' and 'Don't Send Me Away' make this a must have CD. 9/10


Two Lone Swordsmen 'Tiny Reminders' I'll admit I found this record initially difficult, but the more I played it; the more it began to make sense. The Swordsmen don't use lyrics, but instead they allow the machines to speak and I've realised their machines have soul. Standout tracks are Machine Maid and Brootle. 8/10.


Various 'Social Classics Volume 1 � Stuart Patterson Presents Deviant' Wow and wow again. Dreamy music. As I started to listen, the sun shone through my windows and I thought I was in for a relaxing treat. 23 Skidoo's 'Dawning' is a beautiful song. Then the calm was shattered by rap music which to be honest, I will never like. (They may as well be in Hyde Park on a soap box for all I care) The album picks up again after this and the last six tracks are wonderful. They're what I imagine would be popular club songs but they provided me with ideal background music for my ironing. 6/10