Rock Records: Charlatans: Tellin' Stories (Beggar's Banquet, CD/LP/tape ).

Respect, as they say, is due. The Charlatans have swum through a sea of troubles - most recently, the death of their organist, Rob Collins - but they have kept their heads above water, and kept themselves sounding upbeat.

Tellin' Stories is a party record full of swaggering, shuffling, old- fashioned rock'n'dance. There are two instrumentals which are reminiscent of the Chemical Brothers, one of whom chipped in some production, and Primal Scream, whose Martin Duffy adds keyboard parts.

None the less, they are a band of limited vision. Their songwriting isn't distinctive enough to let them make the classic album they are always promising. By the end of this solidly enjoyable record, it's hard to tell one baggy groove from another.