If you enjoy formulaic pop, packed full of electronic gimmicks and distorted vocals then look no further than Kylie's new album X (Parlophone). This is an album of songs made to be heard at clubs or through those hyperactive bass-heavy sound systems favoured by some car drivers. It seems to me that Kylie has gone through her career following in the musical footsteps of Madonna - however, there's a bit of a departure on this album as one of the indistuguishable tunes sounds in part at least, a bit like Pink's classic Get the Party Started.

At the other end of the female vocal scale you have the wonderful Tracy Thorn's latest album, Out of the Woods (Buzzin' Fly) - one of my favourite releases of 2007. Here, instead of being in your face, the electronic instrumentation is subtle, as are the lyrics and Thorn's fragile, emotive and ever-so-slightly, melancholy delivery. Thorn wraps up folk and pop styles in a contemporary and soulful urban mix, which ultimately is far more listenable than the aforementioned pop diva's overproduced confections.

Sitting somewhere in between Kylie and Tracy is Gabrielle, the London-born R&B singer. Her latest album, Always (Universal) is a nicely paced offering, but on first listen lacks a killer track to nail listeners to the wall. Maybe her latest single taken from the album Every Little Teardrop will do the business. It is, however an album you can listen to at home - without resorting to big bass sound and huge volume.

If you are a fan of fun jazzy retro-sounds, then look no further than The Puppini Sisters - who give the 1940s female harmony group a modern twist on their new album The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo (Universal). The trio started life as a tribute to The Andrews Sisters, and their live show features a version of the Andrews' Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - but they also, perhaps oddly, do a version of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights. The Puppinis' album features more covers of classics, and some self-penned material too. The Ruby Woo of the title is a brand of lipstick favoured by the sisters - and allegedly Robert Smith of the Cure.