Well chosen collection; a peerless voice
Dane R. D'alessandro | Washington, DC | 01/24/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"SINGLES is a great way to get acquainted (or reacquainted) with Alison's work. She has an amazing voice, bluesy and wailing, that is infinitely more powerful live than on any record. This import version is actually 2 discs - the first disc is her greatest hits collection; the second disc is an 11 song live concert, recorded towards the end of 1995. DISC 1 collects the singles and most accessible tracks from her 4 solo CDs and the 2 Yazoo CDs. The 20 cuts are sequenced in chronological order, pulling the hits and most accessible songs from each CD, including the now-out-of-print "Hoodoo" and "Essex" CDs. (Sadly, these were her best CDs.) Each track is strong, melodic, radio friendly pop. With each album, Alison got more experimental, mixing rock and blues arrangements to create an edgier sound. Later cuts, like "It Won't Be Long", "Ode to Boy", and "Wishing You Were Here" are great examples. This disc also features two non-album tracks, "Love Letters" (a cover of the old Presley tune) and "That Ole Devil Called Love", plus 2 new songs. DISC 2 is a great concert disc which showcases just how powerful her voice can be when not encumbered with studio production. It includes many of her hits, plus great covers of "Chain of Fools" and "There Are Worse Things I Could Do". I wish they had included her live versions of "Rock and Roll" (the Led Zeppelin track) and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (In 1994, I saw her perform live, and when she belted "First Time" acapella, it was so strong and pure that it made everyone's jaw drop in the concert hall). As a package, it's worth the extra money you'll spend."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1