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Music Review

03 July 2009 21:34 BST

Radio 1's Live Lounge: 2 by Various Artists

SonyBMG, out now

In a nutshell...

Live indie-pop acoustic specialities

What's it all about?

Imagine all your favourite indie pop stars as you have never heard them before, like a straight-to-video Coronation Street cruise-based adventure.

Look, there's the Arctic Monkeys covering Amy Winehouse! Hold on, isn't that Paolo Nutini covering Amy Winehouse? One minute there, c'est Amy Winehouse covering the Zutons! Now wrap me in cling film and call me Susan, but isn't that Avril Lavigne covering Coldplay? (Yes, sorry), etc, etc.

Radio 1's Live Lounge 2 is the ground-breakingly titled follow-up to Radio 1's Live Lounge, which brought us Keane doing U2, Arctic Monkeys covering Girls Aloud and acoustic tracks from Coldplay, the Bedingfield woman and Foo Fighters.

The second installment follows the same pattern - even to the track-listing- and what you get is 40 tracks - some good and some good karaoke.

On the whole it's a good listen and great when you can hear the bands smiling.

Stand-out tracks includes Maximo Park's take on the Proclaimers' 500 Miles (marvellous), the Fratellis' Chelsea Dagger (a growling party), the Holloways' Generator (knees-up), the Fray's Hips Don't Lie (falling over Cuban relaxation), Bloc Party's take on Nelly Furtado (sounds like Bloc Party), and Dizzee Rascal's Fix Up, Look Sharp (sweet like tropicana).

However, with wheat is chaff: Avril Lavigne (no comment), James Morrison (why?), Marroon 5 (why bother?), Damien Rice (don't care). Meanwhile, Keane's Dirtylicious (Aguilera v Destiny's Child) is the best thing they've ever done, but that's not saying much.
Who's it by

Live Lounge 2 brings you 40 of the best young music combos and solo artists on the hit combos, including (good and bad): Arctic Monkeys, The Enemy, Dizzee Rascal, Elbow, Coldplay, Mika, Editors, Mark Ronson and Jose Gonzalez.

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys

Live Lounge 1 was quite a pleasant surprise, but this year the award for best Radio 1 compilation has to go to Radio 1 Established 1967 (40 covers from 40 artists from 40 years)

Who in their right mind would buy this?

Live Lounge 1 sold over 800,000 copies, so who will buy Live Lounge 2?
Uncles/Aunts: Uncertain what music faddish teenage niece/nephew is enamoured with this week, they go for all of them.
This is not such a bad tactic, while your sibling's offspring will never rate this as their greatest present ever, there will be some tracks that they can enjoy. However, don't think just because they liked it a bit that you are cool or still in touch with youth culture.

Early 30s man: Growing up with the Inspiral Carpets and the Charlatans, you yearn to be up with cool music, although listening to 6 Music once a week (but only enjoying the Smiths) and buying four albums a year won't stop your expanding waistline.

Live Lounge 2 is just the album for you! You feel you get to know all the latest groups, while having an album you could play in the background at a dinner party (thanks to all the acoustic tracks).

Young Folks: You get forty tracks to fill up your non-branded MP3 player. However being young you are more likely to be downloading tracks, I'm told.

For die-hard fans of any of the bands on offer, just get the tracks you need.

Also we recommend tracks five, eight, 11, 15, 18, 24, 31, 35.
8 /10 at times, 0/10 at others

Daniel Barnes