Heading here

Kylie is our adopted national treasure, and her enduring appeal inspires devotion in her fans. As she approaches 50, her golden year, she begins afresh with a change of label with this, her 14th studio album. Recorded in Nashville, there is a country sheen and a touch of the Dolly Partons, but this collection is quintessentially Kylie.

Lead single Dancing opens the album and has proved to be a grower, its subject matter a reflection on enjoying life while you can. The album continues with much whooping and stomping beats, but this is also a very personal effort, Kylie co-wrote each track, and there are songs that nod to her break-up last year.

Radio On is a late-night musing on heartache and the beautiful Music's Too Sad Without You, a duet with Jack Savoretti, is possibly the best ballad the Australian pop star has ever recorded.

Kylie proves she still has the Midas touch with an album packed with heart, soul and glitter on its cowboy boots. 8/10 LISA ALLEN

MANIC STREET PREACHERS - RESISTANCE IS FUTILE

The Welsh band have come storming back on to the scene with an impressively eclectic 13th studio album. Their decision to provide a collection of songs that feels almost a summation of their work so far is both the album's biggest strength and its most pointed weakness.

They're unlikely to draw in many new fans with tracks such as Liverpool Revisited and People Give In, with their bold bravado and 1990s theatrics.

But this doesn't seem to be the band's aim, and long-standing fans should feel they have their expectations satisfied, even if the stadium-rock aesthetic seems a slightly stale safe bet.

But just as some of their more suspect album-filler tracks feel a little dated, the standout hits feel as strong as some of Manic Street Preacher's most recognisable hits. Dylan & Caitlin is foremost among them; a duet with Welsh multi-instrumentalist The Anchoress, the song is extremely listenable, and an interesting spin on the relationship between Dylan and Caitlin Thomas, two of Wales' most proud figures.

The Manics aren't breaking the mould with Resistance Is Futile, but on the strength of their songwriting, they won't have to. 7.5/10 ZANDER SHARP

HINDS - I DON'T RUN

There's a lot of youthful exuberance to Madrid four-piece Hinds' chaotic second album. Every song is packed with spindly riffs and shouty vocals that recall the snotty early records of Weezer and the Strokes.

Unlike those obvious influences, however, there's a cheerful innocence to the songs. Although grungy anthem Tester touches on the thorny subject of sex, for the most part there's an emphasis on the childlike, with deliberately off-key vocals and lyrics that recall playground slogans, such as "I hate your guts!" on Soberland.

A couple of quieter, lo-fi songs apparently recorded in a garden (complete with birdsong) offer a little respite. The stripped down, acoustic number Ma Nuit in particular (the only song to feature lyrics in Spanish) suggests that the band might mature in an interesting direction, but right now listening to them is a bit like supervising a children's party: fun at first but exhausting after a while. 7/10 JAMES ROBINSON

KACEY MUSGRAVES - GOLDEN HOUR

The fourth album from Texan country singer Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour, is a collection of dreamy, sometimes ethereal, songs that blend together in a way that many albums never attain.

Opener Slow Burn does exactly what it says and gently leads us into Musgraves' world for a short while. The combination of honesty in the lyrics and Musgraves' voice mean that no matter what the subject matter, it's going to sound good. Oh What A World is one of the better tracks, but there are several standouts and it doesn't feel like there is any filler. Perhaps the real standout is Musgraves' singing.

Golden Hour lands on the poppier side of country, so is a worth a listen to fans of pop, country and anyone who just likes a good record. 8/10 RYAN WARD