For an artist whose career only spans four albums, Sheryl Crow has already had both the live album and now the greatest hits. Whether this is indicative of an imminent exit from her record company or simply a way to get her back in the public eye after the disappointing sales of 'C'mon C'mon' is open to conjecture.
Certainly, the fact that her first and biggest hit to date, 'All I Wanna Do', is the first track on this compilation serves as a reminder of a time when Crow was seemingly permanently on every FM radio station. It's a neat encapsulation of what she does best - classic guitar rock with wry, keenly observed lyrics. There are other examples of this littered throughout the album, from the bouncy programmed drums of 'Soak Up The Sun' to the snappy riffs of 'My Favourite Mistake' and the slow-burning guitars and yelped chorus of 'If It Makes You Happy'.
However, 'There Goes The Neighbourhood' remains possibly her finest moment to date. Despite sounding like it's lifted straight from the 'Sticky Fingers' songbook, with lines like "This is the movie/of the screenplay/of the book/about a girl who meets a junkie" and a sax solo dripping of 'Brown Sugar', the Stonesy jagged riffs and winks-to-camera lyrics make it purr like a classic Cadillac.
The problem with Crow's music is that it all too frequently gets sidetracked by her appetite for unremarkable ballads. There are a few too many examples of those littering this album, notably the strained chorus of 'Leaving Las Vegas' and the bland, quasi-religious ruminations of 'Light In Your Eyes'. The fact that the compilers have chosen her clichéd 'relationship gone wrong' duet with Kid Rock, 'Picture', over better solo material like 'Anything But Down' and 'Tomorrow Never Dies' is also deeply questionable.
Luckily, she's rescued by the uptempo tracks, even if they may have lost their appeal due to being played endlessly in FM radio hell. Talking of which, the new track, a cover of 'The First Cut Is The Deepest' fits that description like a glove, with not an ounce of the emotion PP Arnold or even Rod Stewart invested in their versions. Instead, it's a bland session muso effort that is begging to be placed over the end credits of a romantic comedy.
So, all in all, a mixed bag, which sums up her career to date pretty well. Like her heroes the Stones, Ms Crow is always a better bet live, but unlike them, she has yet to put together a run of sensational singles that will elevate her into the rock pantheon.
