JAY-Z  (Roc Nation)

Continuing our round-up of recent albums we didn’t quite have room to cover, here comes Jigga, six years removed from premature retirement (and now in his forties) but still keen to show the kids how it’s done.

His home-help certainly manage it: exec-produced by Kanye West, The Blueprint 3 boasts more than its share of worthwhile beats. The problem, really, is Jay-Z, who doesn’t always have much to say and rarely sounds all that interested in saying it.

WILL FULFORD-JONES