Another mixed bag this week.

There are great new albums from Bruce Springsteen, The View and newcomers The Airborne Toxic Event, a couple of albums to tie in with Valentine’s Day and some more disappointing efforts.

What more can you ask for?

The Bird & The Bee – Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future

When electropop duo Inara George and Greg Kurstin unveiled their self-titled debut two years ago, it was conceived as a grand coming out party for the hottest new band on the block.

Everything was in place – critical buzz, a celebrity endorsement from Lily Allen and a quirky single (F****** Boyfriend) to get things moving.

Public reaction, though, was minimal. Which brings us to Ray Guns... a more measured, less knowingly arch affair than its predecessor.

Multi-instrumentalist Kurstin, whose playing credits include the likes of Britney Spears, Nelly Furtado and The Flaming Lips, enjoys a more prominent role than before, moving from the jazz mash-up of Love Letter To Japan to the proggy Ray Gun with ease.

George’s honeyed vocals still seem a shade too mannered but this has strong crossover potential.

Rating 7/10

James Taylor – Covers

It’s now 40 years since James Taylor released his eponymous debut album on The Beatles’ label Apple.

His second album Sweet Baby James would secure his place in the ’70s folk scene with tracks like the autobiographical Fire And Rain.

While he’s no stranger to cover versions – he had a hit with Marvin Gaye’s How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – James’ choice of covers on this latest album falls short of the mark.

Recorded over ten snowed-in days in a converted barn in the States, the record rather ambitiously tackles Hound Dog, Summertime Blues and Not Fade Away which don’t suit James’ vintage voice so well as tracks like O What A Beautiful Mornin’ and Tom Waits’ Shiver Me Timbers.

The orchestration is ropey and it’s disappointingly far from his best work.

Rating: 6/10

Charles Aznavour – Duos

French is often referred to as the most romantic language, as if merely uttering a few choice Gallic words were guarantee of success with a lady.

That in mind, an album of duets from France’s premier crooner Charles Aznavour should be perfect Valentine’s Day fodder.

The first CD here is a collection of duos sung in Aznavour’s mother tongue, although trying to find something remotely sexy about opener Toi Et Moi, which features the caterwauling of Celine Dion, is a long and thankless task.

On the English-speaking, second disc, Elton John, Sting and Josh Groban all make appearances, as do the late Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin – the recordings were made over the years, but have never been released before – which at least adds some class to the proceedings. On the whole, however, give this one a miss.

Rating 4/10

The View – Which Bitch?

Dundee’s favourite scamps are back with the follow-up to their hugely-popular debut, Hats Off To The Buskers.

While lead single 5 Rebeccas failed to set the charts alight like the tunes of old, Which Bitch? sees the band pushing their boundaries to mostly pleasing effect.

Strings waft their way through Unexpected and Distant Doubloon, while pianos and harmonicas have also been added in places to complement their familiar scruffy sound.

Paolo Nutini combines brilliantly with lead singer Kyle Falconer on stand-out track Covers, although the rapping on One Off Pretender must be rated as cringe-worthy at best.

Despite lacking any obvious hits, The View have proved they can still mix it with the best of ’em.

Rating 8/10

Various – Cream Future Trance

A sub-genre of dance music that first came to prominence in the post-rave era of the late 1990s, trance remains a staple of contemporary clubbing diets.

Over the duration of three action-packed discs, top dance band Cream highlights a pretty impressive roster of trance talent for the year ahead: Guru Josh’s instant classic ’Infinity 2008’ is included in two versions and overall the mix from track to track is seamless.

Standouts include trance master Ferry Corsten’s ’Radio Crash’, superstar DJ Armin van Buuren’s ’Unforgiveable’ (First State remix featuring Jaren) and Marc Marberg with Kyau and Albert’s Neo Love (Giuseppe Ottaviani remix).

Rating 7/10

Titus Andronicus – The Airing Of Grievances

Titus Andronicus have earned themselves a fierce reputation in the New Jersey indie/punk scene for their energetic live shows and this, their debut album, attempts to harness that energy and blast it through the speakers of their growing legion of fans.

Opening track Fear And Loathing in Mahwah, NJ sets off at a leisurely pace before breaking into a Pogues-esque ditty which pounds along with reckless abandon.

From then on it’s a non-stop aural assault with lead singer Patrick Stickles’ screeching drawl as unrelenting as the pumping drums which underline every song.

While you can’t fault these guys for passion, their scruffy, fuzzy sound does start to grate after a while leaving listener’s eardrums decidedly battered and bruised.

Rating 6/10

Luther Vandross – Love Songs

If you’ve been within a mile of a card shop or florists in the last two months, you’ll know St Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.

Apart from the obvious roses, chocolates, soft toys and a table reservation in a fancy restaurant, what else could you possibly need to make the romantic occasion go any smoother?

Why, a collection of Luther Vandross’s finest love songs of course, you cold-hearted fool!

It’s not difficult to hear why the late singer sold 25 million records – Never Too Much, Always And Forever and Your Secret Love still sound original, but en masse, Vandross slushy ballads, with one-dimensional arrangements, are more sickly than a self-penned poem to your loved one.

Rating 5/10

The Airborne Toxic Event – The Airborne Toxic Event

Still riding high after the widespread acclaim of an impressively anthemic first single, ’Somewhere Around Midnight’ which attracted a big following on Radio One schedules and also as iTunes ’alternative song of the year’, The Airborne Toxic Event has produced a self-titled debut long player at last after a frenetic touring schedule for the band of 30 UK shows on consecutive nights.

Frontman Mikel Jollett was an aspiring journalist and his literary tendencies (the group’s name comes from the Don De Lillo novel ’White Noise’) shine strongly throughout the album’s duration.

The overall effect is of an indie melange, as Jollett’s unselfconscious lyrics provide a low-key narrative of our times, with clear echoes of both ’Arcade Fire’ and ’Bright Eyes’.

Rating 7/10

Various – Notorious

It’s no surprise that for a film which is based on the relatively short life of hip-hop’s Notorious BIG, the album accompanying it is mostly made up of his own tracks.

On first appearances, it seems like this may be just a bit of a cash in – you’ll find a lot of these songs already featured on other Notorious BIG albums.

However, you also get a few rarities including some Biggie demos – Microphone Murderer being a highlight.

In addition, there’s a new track by Jay Z featuring Santogold.

While the album serves as a reminder of his importance in hip-hop, the guns-money-girls lyrics do verge on being utterly crass.

Rating 7/10

Bruce Springsteen – Working On A Dream

The Boss has struck a rich vein of form.

His last album, Magic, was a welcome return to working with the E Street Band and the more bombastic sound of his ’70s/’80s heyday.

Working On A Dream can be seen as a continuation of a similar thought.

Springsteen embraces all the themes he loves so much: unrequited love, wide open spaces, love eventually fulfilled and, as always, a bit of good old fashioned contemplation about the state of life.

He sounds more at ease, as if he is singing with a big smile on his face, than perhaps ever before.

Tracks not to miss include the opener Outlaw Pete, My Lucky Day and his ode to a checkout chick – Queen Of The Supermarket.

Treat yourself to a master who is enjoying being at the top of his game.

Rating 8/10