Album: Dido, Safe Trip Home, (CHEEKY/RCA)

Say what you will about Dido, she's certainly dependable; for though she's travelled the world since 2003's 'Life for Rent', her musical journey appears to have stalled at the front door.

OK, there are weightier concerns this time round (her father's death on "Grafton Street"), and brass and recorder thrown into the instrumental mix. But mostly, it's the same old Tesco shopper trip-pop, on which ethereal affectations and Dear Diary platitudes abound.

Pick of the Album: 'Grafton Street': the best of a bland bunch