Whenever the Brits nominations are announced, music industry pundits trip over their bloated bellies in the rush to take a potshot. This time the nomination panel really did make things easy for the critics, granting the lovely Dido an absurd second nomination as Best Newcomer, then cruelly snatching it away in the face of her longevity and to a chorus of much public sniggering. All the while, few noticed that exactly the same thing had happened to Atomic Kitten - though what with the repeated makeovers and shuffling of band members, you could argue they're barely the same band they were in 2001.
It all goes to show that it doesn't matter who wins the Brits. The judges don't inspire respect, the musicians don't see it as a great tribute and the fans don't get that worked up, so artistically, it's just a bloody good party isn't it. So, of course, what we have here is a compilation CD in the form of 2 x 74 minutes worth of the rawest, purest, most industry approved British talent.
Together with the obligatory international nominees - it's a snapshot of the state of the scene, playing the vibrant and successful Gorillaz off against the bland and lifeless likes of Atomic Kitten. There's a mainstream urban influence, with So Solid Crew, Mis-Teeq and Craig David all present and correct, while the inoffensive Starsailor, Travis and Ryan Adams pop up as the past, present and future of acoustic strumalongs.
Interestingly, the compilation highlights just how disappointing the past year has been for some of our biggest stars. While Kylie Minogue and S Club 7 get to offer their finest hits to date, poor old Robbie Williams has to make do with putting forward his excruciating 'Eternity'. Obviously, the less said about Geri Halliwell's interpretation of 'It's Raining Men', the happier we'll all be.
As with the Brits themselves, the compilation represents an uneasy sanitised compromise. Sadly, whilst even the awards ceremony rewards innovation in its own unique way every once in a while, the compilation CD does no such thing. Fans of Aphex Twin, for one, may well feel that an opportunity has been lost - a short blast from 'Drukqs' would have finished this soulless bunch off quite nicely.
