The four tracks we've heard - The Garden, Said It All, Up All Night and the single, Greatest Day bode very well for the follow-up to their chart-topping, Beautiful World album. Here's our track-by-track rundown of what we've heard so far...

The Garden
A five minute epic, this is a song that just gets bigger and bigger in sound as it progresses. Beginning with a gentle piano intro and a delicate vocal performance from Mark Owen, soaring strings, marching band-style drums, horns and guitars are all gradually chucked into the mix before it crescendos into its anthemic 'this is the life we've been given, so open your mind and start living' chorus. It's an ambitious track and is exactly the reason why they've been so massive since making their return a couple of years ago.

Greatest Day
You'll have all heard their latest single by now. It's a proper grown-up pop record along the same lines as Rule The World and sees the boys try their hand at a much more complex vocal arrangement than we've heard from them previously. The track is available to download from November 24th and you can check out pictures from the video shoot here.

Said It All
Goodness - they've really gone overboard with the strings on this album! Said It All is a bleak, rock-influenced, break-up anthem which wouldn't have sounded out of place of Snow Patrol's recent album.

Up All Night
Mark Owen takes the lead on this one once again and, while it starts off with just an acoustic guitar and percussion for accompaniment, it morphs into something altogether very different. If we had to compare it to anything, it would be their hit single, Shine crossed with I Can't Decide from Scissor Sisters' second album, Ta-Dah... only with a brass band trumping in the background. We're expecting a great performance of this on their upcoming tour.

While it's difficult to judge a twelve track album on the basis of four tracks, this has certainly whet our appetite. We recommend adding it to your Christmas list pronto!

If you fancy seeing Take That live, don't forget tickets for their 2009 UK tour are on sale now and you can catch them performing their new single on the X Factor on November 22nd.

The Circus is released on Polydor Records on December 1st.

Take That album update
Thursday, November 13 2008, 19:42 GMT

By Nick Levine, Music Editor

Earlier today three tracks from Take That's new album, The Circus, arrived in our inbox. We've been listening to them ever since and here's what we've got to report:

'Said It All'
There are hints of Coldplay and Snow Patrol to this Gary Barlow-sung chugger, which deals with that moment in a break-up where there's "nothing to say at all, nothing to say that matters". It's nothing Take That didn't do on their last album, Beautiful World, but the climax is suitably rousing.

'Up All Night'
Sung by Mark Owen, this Beatlesy gem skips along from folky verses to 'Shine'-y, harmony-drenched choruses. The whole song's a delight, but the best bit comes when Marky shows his laddish side on the middle 8. "I met this girl last night and she said, 'Why won't you marry me?'" he sings. "Well I'm too young for that, too dumb for that, too tired for that, too proud for that, too cool for that. Would you like to come back to my flat?"

'The Garden'
Gary Barlow and Mark Owen share lead vocals on this epic, stirring ballad, which is packed with positive messages about love, unity and seizing the day. "This is the life you've been given, so open your mind and start living" goes the chorus. It's 100% sentimental but pretty charming with it

2. Greatest Day 3:59

3. Hello 3:30

4. Said It All 4:15

5. Julie 3:52

6. The Circus 3:33

7. How Did It Come To This 3:11

8. Up All Night 3:27

9. What Is Love 3:27

10. You 4:13

11. Hold Up A Light/She Said 7:59