After the persuasive opening singles “Chained to the Rhythm”, “Bon Appétit” and “Swish Swish”, as well as all Katy Perry’s pre-release talk about “purposeful pop”, there was a feeling that Witness might push the boat out, taking Perry’s music into more intriguing terrain than previously. Perhaps it might even achieve the leaps forward made by Beyoncé with last year’s masterpiece, Lemonade, or Madonna’s transformations with producers William Orbit and Stuart Price, in 1998 and 2005 respectively. Unfortunately, while occasionally tasty, it cannot meet those comparisons, yet it’s still Perry’s most enjoyable and consistent album.

There’s a sideline in heartache – power ballad “Miss You More”, which includes lines such as “So strange you know all my secrets, keep them safe”, will have sleb-watchers pondering whether Perry’s ex, Russell Brand, is the subject. But, mostly, it’s full of self-empowerment epics that are her stock in trade, notably the enormous “Hey Hey Hey” which features couplets such as “’Cause I can be zen and I can be the storm, yeah!/Smell like a rose and I pierce like a thorn, yeah!”.

It’s a perfect slice of pop, lightly marinated in calypso

A tried and tested team of hit-spewing producer-songwriters, such as Max Martin, Sia, Jeff Bhasker and Duke Dumont (as well as Jack Garratt and Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor) make sure the whole thing sounds irresistibly gigantic. Happily, it has sonic depth, rather than Perry’s usual compressed earbud candy. “Roulette” is electro-pop for giant beings, while “Pendulum” sounds like a funky 1970s Elton John number inflated to 21^st century stadium vastness. The two housey numbers, “Swish Swish” (featuring Nicki Minaj) and “Déjà Vu” are warm and enjoyable, and the bouncy ode to oral sex, “Bon Appétit”, is suitably frisky and rude (“Got me spread like a buffet”).

The stand-out track, by far, however, is “Chained to the Rhythm”, co-written by Sia and featuring Bob Marley’s grandson, Skip. It’s a perfect slice of pop, lightly marinated in calypso with lyrics and a melody that brilliantly muster both existential hopelessness and remaining upbeat against bad odds. It seems to be about everything from political complacency to being blind-sided by hedonism. It’s a song that will deservedly have a long and well-loved life. The rest of the album sits in its shadow, but still has its moments.

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Overleaf: Watch the video for Katy Perry "Chained to the Rhythm"

In 1990, Ride were in the first wave of the Shoegazing scene to get out of the blocks and into the studio to record their iconic debut EP. Four albums and a sack load of EPs and singles later, however, they called it a day and the four lads from Oxford slouched off to join Oasis, the Jesus and Mary Chain, put out solo records and, in bassist Steve Queralt’s case, to take up a career in retail at Habitat. And that seemingly was that. However, in 2015 fate intervened and the Coachella Festival came calling with the offer to get back together in front of a crowd of 70,000.

“Harry's new album is F*CKING INSANE!” tweeted Father John Misty recently, setting the expectation bar very high for a collection that, sources close to the former One Direction member had indicated, would be “deeply personal” (or, at least, as deeply personal as a Grammy-winning songwriting team would allow). Then, with the release of lead single “Sign of the Times” came comparisons to Pink Floyd and David Bowie. Not an overlong Robbie Williams piano ballad sung by someone with decent range, then? No. Pink Floyd. And Bowie.

The comparisons and preposterous hyperbole seem stranger still on the realisation that, while this may not sound like a One Direction album, it certainly feels like one. As with all 1D releases, many of the tunes presented here feel thoroughly road-tested – and mainly because they have been. If there is clear blue water to be found, it's simply in the choice of previous owners.

That's not to say they're not good, however. Opener and standout track “Meet Me in the Hallway” actually warrants the Pink Floyd comparison, in as much as it’s essentially an uptempo reworking of Dark Side’s “Breathe”, with the falsetto refrain from “Sign of the Times” dropped in, presumably to give maximum return on its earworm investment.

“Carolina”, meanwhile, is Beck’s “Devil’s Haircut”, covered by Supergrass, but with the rocket removed from its arse and handed to the stylist. It sounds built-for-purpose, but bearing in mind that the purpose seems to be uncomplicated fun, that’s fine by me.

Most notably, “Sweet Creature” is practically twinned with the Beatles’ “Blackbird” – by which I mean you’re more likely to tell them apart by name than rigorous DNA analysis. However, throughout all this, Styles’ voice holds up perfectly well and lends the songs a pleasing coherence, if falling short of the identity necessary to make the collection a complete success.

The same can’t be said for the mid-album rockers “Only Angel” and “Kiwi”, which see the singer posturing rather than performing. The former features a bluesy, Stones-y riff – neatly studied, and designed to do the same sort of job, but lacking the ferocity of the source material. It’s like sending out a housecat to bring down a gazelle.

Ultimately, it’s a decent enough debut, but Styles isn’t trying to reinvent the form and comparisons to artists who did are as unhelpful to him as they are inaccurate. He’s a perfectly capable pop singer with some solid songs. When on earth did that stop being enough?

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 @jahshabby

Overleaf: Watch the video for "Sign of the Times"

"An Evening with Pink Martini" consists of two sets by the Portland, Oregon group/mini-orchestra. Of these, the first takes the prize, but only by a very short lead. During it the nine-piece, led by Thomas Lauderdale at the piano, seem to relax and really allow spontaneity to take hold, in a manner that’s both risky and thrilling, in terms of stagecraft. At one point trombonist Antonis Andreou is coaxed to sing a number in Greek that he can hardly remember, which means moments of quiet conflab with lead singer Storm Large.

One tries not to conflate the man and the music too much. Getting overly tangled up in questions of authenticity is a fool's errand, songs are ultimately public property, and in general, short of Gary Glitter-level crimes, dislike of a pop star's demeanour or attitudes shouldn't stand in the way of enjoyment of a good piece of music. All that said, snide, smirking, condescending, tax-avoiding Gary Barlow makes it very, very hard to enjoy his work.

Peter Kay’s love – and extensive knowledge – of pop music is well known. He has often spoofed misheard song lyrics in his shows, and has released various charity singles over the years.

Laura Marling's new album is called Semper Femina - two words the singer-songwriter also has tattooed on her leg. It's Latin for "always a woman". Despite having the motto inscribed on her flesh, Marling claims to find it hard to write intimately about other women. Hence the singer describing her recent spell in Los Angeles as a particularly "masculine time" causing her now to look "specifically at women". Full marks for ambition, some might feel, but might she be overthinking it?

If the underlying rationale can seem a tad laboured, the music is anything but. Fans will be familiar with how her albums are balanced between music that plugs straight into the soul and other, more complex textures. Once I Was an Eagle had an entire side that could be interpreted as extended noodling. Semper Femina blends folk and West Coast rock to be consistently sweet and tuneful - feminine without being too gentle.

The tunes may be rock solid but some of the packaging is more obscure. Take the lead single "Soothing". The video (see overleaf) features footage of two PVC-clad women mysteriously rolling on a bed. It's an arresting image, alright, but the meaning is far from clear. The actual song is a different matter. With its gorgeous double-bass, and sultry vocals, it's as direct an expression of separation and desire as you're likely to hear. Then there's "Wild Once", described as "exploring the archetype of the wild woman and her unrestrained physicality". The reality is a gentle, sensuous, folky piece that reminds you of childhood. Prettiest still is "Nouel", a description of platonic love for a female friend with fingerpicking and melodic overtones redolent of the Beatles' "Blackbird". 

Of course, it's hard not to admire an artist being so unashamedly cerebral. But while Marling's desire to explore cultural attitudes head-on is certainly laudable, one can't help feeling her real strength lies in the exceptional beauty of her songs. On that count, Semper Femina rates very highly. 

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Overleaf: watch Laura Marling's video for "Soothing"