Madonna

No 1: Sep 24th

No 8: Sep 24th (No 1: Nov 1990)

A new Madonna album is always an event and much as the music press would love to trash the american's efforts, her latest release Music has met almost universal good reviews. The public think so too, giving Madonna her sixth chart-topper. French producer Mirwais is the main influence with electronic funk-dance on the title-track Music, Nobody's Perfect and I Deserve It. William Orbit lends a hand too and a possible future single Amazing is his best production although the much derided cover of American Pie which he also produced is sorely out of place on the british release at least. The next single is the highly melodic What It feels Like For A Girl which was produced by Oasis man Mark Stent. A phenomenal album. The new release also helps the greatest hits album The Immaculate Collection earn another top 10 entry and a 161st week on the album chart.

Moby

No 1: Apr 9th

The New York DJ Moby first began his career in Punk group the Vatican Commandos but was drawn intellectually to dance music after reading about it in the eighties. His output in the nineties has been diverse and at times a little too experimental for the average taste in music. The 1999 album Play however has combined both critical acclaim with popular success. The 17 tracks on the album are varied and complex but put together with such skill that they can easily be listened to in a variety of moods and concentration levels. Advertisers love it so don't be surprised if you recognise a lot more of the album than you expect to... Play began a five-week run of topping the UK chart on April 9th.

... Jane McDonald

No 6: Jun 11th

Perhaps the only good thing to have come out of a docusoap, Jane McDonald debuts at no 6 on June 11th with her second album Inspirations. The caberet star must have felt her chances of success were passed when she signed up to do another cruise show two years ago but with the BBC filming a documentary entitled The Cruise in which the northern lass shone as much for her "genuine" character as for her singing, she has since become a major British TV star. Her first album hit the no 1 spot but with bigger acts debuting much lower she'll be well pleased with the first week sales of Inspirations...

... Kylie Minogue

No 2: Oct 1st

With her appearance at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics, Kylie Minogue's rise from the ashes of her previous contract is complete and only Madonna can hold the australian diva off the top spot. Light Years debuts at no 2 on October 1st. The album is a return to the light pop song of the early nineties - sexy, danceable and camp. As well as the two singles Spinning Around and On A Night Like This and the new duet Kids with Robbie Williams, the album features Your Disco Needs You an over-the- top tribute to the Village People, the ballad Please Stay and a new version of Steve Harley's Make Me Smile retitled Coocachoo.

... Moloko

No 3: Apr 16th

... Morcheeba

No 6: Jul 16th

Sounding less like trip-hop and more like the Brand New Heavies, Morcheeba return with a new album Fragments of Freedom which debuts at no 6 on 16th July beating the peaks of both previous albums. Brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey from Hythe in Kent hooked up with singer Skye Edwards in London before releasing Who Can You Trust in 1996. Despite critical acclaim and a US tour with David Byrne, the album failed to sell well in the UK. However the second album Big Calm reached no 18 in 1998. The band's profile were further raised by Edwards' appearance on the Perfect Day collaboration. Stand out tracks on the new album include the single Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day, Shallow End and A Well Deserved Break.