Exposed

Celebrating ten years in existence this year, the Ballyfermot Rock School has come in for more than its share of criticism over the years ."You can't teach rock n roll" is the main accusation levelled at it, and there's an element of truth in that. But as anyone who's been around in the business for a while knows, the only rule is that there are no rules - and the fact that Belle & Sebastian's acclaimed debut Tiger Milk was made as part of a Higher National Diploma in Music Business course should offer conclusive proof that formal training can produce results.

Exposed essentially offers a snapshot of the current batch of Ballyfermot graduates. It is, as you might expect, a mixed bag, although the range of styles and genres of music on offer is immediately impressive.

The collection opens on a subdued note with Tessa Perry's wistful singing and atmospheric acoustic textures on the genuinely engaging and aptly-named. 'Fragile'. More traditional, albeit fairly undistinguished rock-riffing follows with Hemp's 'Bus Ride', which sails a mite too close to REM's 'What's The Frequency Kenneth' for complete comfort. Eleanor Kenny's R&B slow burner, 'Seven Days', recalls the dusky-voiced Erykah Badu, while the taut country rock of Whover on 'Felix Tsunami' stands out as a definite highlight.

Tri Kaya's 'Full Circle' blends strong Doors and Nirvana influences, Idler's 'This Is Goodbye' is a good Pearl Jam/Chilli Peppers outing, while Maeve Dunphy's 'Slave' offers jazzy caberet a la Liza Minnelli (with help from ex-Graham Parker & The Rumour brassman John "Irish" Earle).

Also featured is Miriam Barry's dreamy 'Gracious Heart', Marie Byrne's MOR ballad 'Peace At Last', Probe's hardcore grind on 'Self Made Hero', garage pop from Fader ('Get Away') and LL Cool J-style hip-hop from Tony X ('Summertime Vibe').

Concluding with This Turbulent Priest's 'I Can't Believe', a skilfully constructed anti-racist, anti-war polemic, Exposed is as good as you could possibly expect. It's not going to change the way we feel about music - but, in the long run, someone on it just might.