The last gasp for the group as anything resembling a band with an international following, A Song for All Seasons was Renaissance's last record to get any serious exposure. The material lacks any of the life that resonated from their early-'70s releases, and even the classical pretensions now seem dullish if pretty.

The title notwithstanding, this debut from the former Faithless singer is pretty angelic-sounding stuff. You're bound to think of Sin�ad O'Connor, but the comparison is as misleading as it is inevitable. Granted, Dido's ethereal vocals here frequently recall O'Connor; but Dido's...