Top 5 - Bob Gajarsky
1) Shack, H.M.S. Fable (London). Burt Bacharach meets the La's; Michael Head may be fighting his drug addictions, but this album has (literally) been years in the making. Well worth the wait.
2) Robbie Williams, The Ego Has Landed (Capitol). While Ego is a compilation of two internationally released discs, it serves as the first American exposure for Mr. Williams. And though successful solo acts from boy bands are harder to find than needles in a haystack, not only has Williams been successful, but has found something money can't buy - credibility.
3) Freestylers, We Rock Hard (Mammoth). Somewhere between the 80s B-boy beats and the frenetic beats captured so wonderfully by Fatboy Slim - utterly irresistible.
4) Smash Mouth, Astro Lounge (Interscope). Fully breaking the sophomore jinx, Smash Mouth prove that they can put together an entire album - and although their songs are starting to become a bit formulaic, at least Astro Lounge has hooks. The same can't be said of their debut.
5) Pet Shop Boys, Nightlife (Sire). The duo known as the Pet Shop Boys seemingly have been around forever, and bouncing from label to label - with almost no U.S. sales - but Nightlife is their strongest effort since Please.
