This Week's Singles

All Saints have somehow managed to slide back into the pop-scene without sounding contrived or like has-beens. Which is even more remarkable considering how career-damaging Natalie Appleton's appearance on I'm A Celeb was. "Rock Steady" (***) is nowhere near their best but is still effortlessly-cool pop and shows reunions, no matter what the motive, don't always have to be embarrassing.

Sugababes took over from All Saints as the credible girl group that Q magazine readers are allowed to like and have been untouchable ever since Freak Like Me four years ago. Until now. "Easy" (***) is far from being a bad record. The chorus is great, the toilet-door dance routine is inspired and Amelle looks like she's been a Sugababe from day one, but overall, it sounds as though they're on autopilot. It looks like Girls Aloud might have stolen their thunder this Christmas when it comes to girlband Greatest Hits.

Maybe Mutya was the source of all the Sugababes powers. But on the evidence of "This Is Not Real Love" (*) she needs them just as much. She's the second Sugababe to go solo but instead of Siobhan's introspective guitar pop, Mutya's gone for the non-descript ballad with none other than serial car-sleeper and pensioner-cruiser George Michael. What sounds like an adventurous and intriguing duet on paper sounds terminally dull in reality. Both can do so so much better.

Teaming up two of the world's biggest bands is a great idea to sell as many charity records as possible, but it doesn't mean the actual record will be great. U2 and Green Day's cover of The Skids' "The Saints Are Coming" (*) is not as ear-bleedingly bad as expected but it was never going to be my idea of musical heaven.

Thank God it's been released this week though, as it looks like it just might keep Westlife, the worst thing to ever happen to pop music, off the #1 spot. "The Rose" (no stars) is a Bette Midler cover, surprise surprise, from their new covers album, surprise surprise. They're about as relevant to today's music scene as George Formby and it's embarrassing seeing how low they will stoop, whether it's their smug life-insurance advert type videos or their sub-standard Daniel O'Donnell material, just to reach the lucrative Radio 2 mums and grandmas market. Most pop groups split up after three albums. Westlife are on their seventh. Please someone make it stop.

Infernal's "From Paris To Berlin" screamed one-hit-wonder but their cover of Laura Branigan's "Self Control" (***) is not as tacky as you would expect and might ensure their brand of camp Europop sees another day.

Page 3 model Michelle Marsh was half-decent on Celebrity X Factor so what on earth has happened to her voice since then? She delivers probably the worst vocal performance this side of Jordan's wedding duet on "Don't Do," (no stars) a contender for worst single of the year.

Madonna's foray back into dance music left me a little cold at first. "Hung Up" would have been nothing without the sample and "Sorry" sounded like a Rachel Stevens b-side. She's got better with each single though and "Jump", (****) the fourth from Confessions On A Dancefloor, is her best since "Love Profusion." and this week's surprise Single Of The Week.

Elsewhere, Kasabian continue their transformation from Stone Roses soundalikes to Gary Glitter/ Sweet soundalikes on the glam-rock retro of "Shoot The Runner," (**) Paris Hilton continues to be surprisingly mediocre and not the train-wreck of a pop career we were expecting on "Nothing In This World" (**) and Fatboy Slim's pedestrian "Champion Sound" (**) proves he puts far more effort into his videos than his songs. And finally, Lucie Silvas releases probably the most underwhelming comeback single of the year. There's nothing wrong with a bit of MOR but "Last Year" (*) even makes Katie Melua look exciting.