Ultimately Pleasing...
Matthew Anderson | Dallas, TX | 01/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Are you new to Swing Out Sister? Heard one or 2 songs and finally figured out who performs them? Want a best-of album, but don't know which one to choose? Look no further. This 2-disc compilation contains plenty of tracks from their "breakout" (no pun intended) first album, 'It's Better to Travel.' Every album up through 'Somewhere Deep in the Night' is well represented. OK, so 1993's 'Get in Touch With Yourself' only gets 2 tracks: "Am I the Same Girl" and "Notgonnachange," but it's hard to quibble with an album that contains the stunning rendition of "The Windmills of Your Mind" and multiple performances from the pricey import 'Live at the Jazz Cafe.' (Besides, 'Get in Touch...' contained mostly dance-clubbish tunes, which was a bit of a departure from SOS's smooth jazz/ Bacharach/ sophisti-pop sound.) 'Ultimate Collection' follows a mostly chronological order, but skips around in time occasionally to create a pleasing flow. What's really great about THIS collection is that it's not as skimpy as the one-disc choices, yet not as exhaustive and plodding as the 3-disc 'Ultimate Collection' (don't get them confused). If you must only buy one SOS album, you could do far worse than this one."