There haven’t been many great albums recently. Aside from Britney Spears doing her thing and Radiohead releasing their album on the Internet, there has been very little of interest in the music world. Timbaland is one of the few artists making great pop music in the current climate. Could Timbaland be the savior of contemporary pop music?

Timbaland’s album Shock Value is groundbreaking on so many levels. Here is an artist respected as a hip hop producer, defying all genre boundaries and throwing in shades of electro, hip hop, RnB, house, rock, indie – everything.

Timbaland is unique in that his music appeals to a wide range of people. You’ve got hop hop joints like “The Way I Are” sat next to the beautiful ballad “Apologize”. The real telling sign of how great Timbaland is will come if and when he releases his next album, but if it’s anything like the stuff he has been working on over the past three years, we’ll know Timbaland is here to stay.

It looks like everybody loves Beyonce. The former Desnity’s Child frontwoman performed to 5,000 screaming fans in Ethiopia. The concert was noteworthy because Ethiopians aren’t known for being fans of Western music, let alone RNB.

Even teenagers who usually turn their noses up to this sort of music were impressed with Beyonce. It was amazing that Beyonce could perform in all of her outrageous costumes in a country where women normally wear plain, white clothes.

The Beyonce concert was part of Ethiopia’s celebration of 2,000 years of existence, according to its ancient calendar.

Last year, the Black Eyed Peas failed to woo a crowd in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We’re not surprised, because the Black Eyed Peas suck. It’s great that Beyonce could win them over though.

“Rap music doesn’t suit Ethiopia. Ethiopians need a melody,” said a local music promoter.

It wasn’t all fun and games though, as Ludacris opened for Beyonce to a luke-warm reaction. There must be something about Beyonce that charms people.

Reasons for the success of the concert varied from Beyonce being “hot” to how much she loves Ethiopia. Whatever, Beyonce is a phenomenon.

In yet another challenge to Apple’s crown, mobile giant Nokia is staking its claim in the race to Christmas sales with the launch of two new music cellphones. The Apple iPhone will launch in the UK on November 9, and both Apple and Nokia are already engaged in a war of advertising and product placement.

This battle for the British market has got to the point where Nokia is now opening a store on Regent Street in London, just a few steps away from Apple’s flagship store. These guys are serious.

It’s Nokia Vs Apple and the gloves are off. Nokia’s new phones will give users the chance to search for music online. The interface will be similar to that of an iPod. While the N95 and the N81 may not be Nokia’s most interestingly-named products, the two phones will be hot on the streets of London this festive season.

The main difference between the Nokia phones and the iPhone is that iPhone users can’t browse through music stores on their phones using their service provider – they have to be in a WiFi area. This difference isn’t too significant, however.

The iPhone will launch in the UK for the equivalent of $550. Nokia is yet to reveal the cost of its new handsets, but as usual, they will probably be given away free with certain phone plans.

Both the iPhone and the Nokia models will feature 8MB of memory and decent-resolution cameras.

It’s game on.

Not only are the aging rock legends getting back together, but Led Zeppelin could be about to record their first new material in 30 years. It’s every rock fans dream. Led Zeppelin are due to perform live on stage next month with their original lineup minus drummer John Bonham (who will be replaced by his son, Jason).

Jimmy Page has been telling people that the band recording new music is almost inevitable, although he admits to being cautious about what to do with regards to live shows and new music. After all, a bad run could seriously tarnish the career and reputation of one of the most-respected bands in the world.

“Look, I’d be really surprised if there wasn’t [new music] - you know, I mean I just know the way we are. We’re musicians…as we’re playing we’ll probably be coming up with all manner of things. And that will be fun. I mean that’s what it’s all about. Let’s do the O2 show, shall we? And then we’ll speak to you afterward,” aid Page to Jam! Music.

Although Page and Plant are taking it one step at a time, it’s an exciting time for music reunions. If they can produce music anywhere near as good as they did 30 years ago, we will be in for some real treats. Let’s just hope it doesn’t all go pear shaped.

2007 will forever be recognized as the year digital music took over the industry. Sales are set to grow 50% over the next 12 months, and with the digital music business becoming increasingly competitive, this can only increase.

At the moment, iTunes from Apple holds about 80% of the market, but this is all about to change. Amazon MP3 is looking to take a chunk out of Apple’s monopoly, while UK companies like Woolworths and HMV are also looking to get in on the action.

Then there’s Nokia, who will also be putting up their challenge. As more and more companies branch out into the digital music industry, the way we buy our songs and albums is going to change

Bands like Radiohead, Oasis, The Charlatans, Jamiroquai, Nine Inch Nails, and so on, are also joining in the fun and embracing digital downloads. The public is fed up of overpriced CDs and record labels are going to have to take note.

With CD sales plummeting, the digital music revolution is gaining strength.

One point of concern is how this will affect smaller bands. Radiohead can give away their music because they have enough fans to be able to do so, but newer bands don’t have this power. With fans now able to pick and choose songs at will, some analysts are speculating that people are actually spending less, despite the digital industry growing.

Only time will tell how this will shape the music business for us all.

It’s finally here, and what an album it is. Radiohead’s In Rainbows is everything we hoped it would be. It’s powerful, stirring, emotional, unsettling – it’s just so typically Radiohead. It has hints of all of their previous albums, amalgamated into one flowing entity.

The opening track is strange and leads into another odd track, “Bodysnatchers”, that throws back to The Bends. Thom Yorke and the boys really come into their own on tracks like “Nude”. You can tell that this is an album into which they have poured everything.

Feedback from the music press has been largely positive, but the real test will be what we think of this album in one month, six months, one year. You can’t judge a Radiohead album on a few listens. It requires time, but after 24 hours with In Rainbows, we’re certain it has the makings of Radoihead’s finest work.

We can’t get over just how moving the track “Videotape” is. In Rainbows is an emotional rollercoaster. It isn’t easy to listen to because it takes you to the very depths of feeling, but what else would you expect from Radiohead?

They’re the biggest band in the world, they have no record label, no executives to oblige, and they’ve come up with what is surely the album of the year.

Order now from InRainbows.com