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HOLLY VALANCE: State Of Mind (London) Even with her arousing advances, Aussie sex kitten Holly Valance misses her 80s pop-disco trump card by a long shot. With all the tinny click tracks, no clich has been air-brushed or unturned. Despite her obvious vamping, Valance sounds like a devilish minx out to make grown men whimper to her whorish appeal. With State Of Mind, she gives it all away for free without any guilt. Her idea of chic seduction (check out her "come hither" look) is downright tawdry. Listening to Valance is like a post-coital reaction to a droopy dip in the well. She's insignificant to count as anything more than a lusty pop minnow. And if there's any truth to the old Hollywood casting couch theory, she may be up for the lead role - if it comes to pass - in the sequel to Showgirls.
SOUNDTRACK: Love Actually (Island)
Fittingly, this romantic comedy movie has a matching soundtrack collecting vintage classics and new tracks that are sassy, endearing, and empowering all at once. An emphasis on British artistes, from the Sugababes' Too Lost In You, Texas' I'll See It Through to Dido's Here With Me, keep the soundtrack from becoming too conventional. Even the older tracks aren't the usual suspects: the Beach Boys' God Only Knows, surely one of the most romantic songs of the last four decades, an uplifting cover of the Pointer Sisters' Jump (For My Love) by Girls Aloud and Otis Redding's White Christmas are welcome surprises. Eva Cassidy's understated cover of Christine McVie's Songbird and Norah Jones' Turn Me On are polished ballads that are pleasantly charming. Best of all, Kelly Clarkson's vocals reflect her urban ballad surroundings radiantly with the winning anthem, The Trouble With Love Is. It doesn't matter if you see the movie or not; the soundtrack's a keeper.
HOOBASTANK: The Reason (Island)
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