Their back-catalogue is studded with impeccably crafted country-rock gems, so virtually any Eagles greatest hits compilation is guaranteed not only to be chock-full of killer songs but also to have left off a fistful of personal favourites. In many ways, though, this 17-track compilation provides a more consistently enjoyable alternative resumé of their career than the recent four-CD box set, Selected Works. Country rock was invented, depending on whom you ask, by The Byrds, The Everly Brothers or Rick Nelson, but it was The Eagles who transformed it into a multi-platinum business and ultimately spawned the Nashville hat act syndrome. It's hard to hold even that against them though when the fresh Southern California breeze blows through "Take It Easy", when the New Mexico sunset is perfectly evoked by the opening arpeggios of "Hotel California" or when the four-part vocal harmonies kick in on the ultimate cheating song, "Lyin' Eyes". Throw in "One of These Nights", "Take It To The Limit" and "Tequila Sunrise", and it's more like a history of the entire genre than a single artist compilation. -Johnny Black.

It's difficult not to feel jealous of the audience who were present for these shows at the Blues Alley club in January, 1996. Eva Cassidy's voice has the soul of Aretha Franklin, the smoky melancholy of Billie Holiday, the raw passion of Janis Joplin all rolled into one-and she'll never make another record. Later that same year she died of cancer, leaving behind a painfully small recorded legacy to be discovered belatedly and posthumously by the rest of the world. But those fortunate few in the Blues Alley club knew the secret long before. Thankfully, producer, mentor and (for a time) boyfriend Chris Biondo had the foresight to record Eva Cassidy for-as things turned out-posterity. So, imagine yourself in a dark corner of that tiny club and let the woman with the guitar and the extraordinary voice serenade you. The set consists of standards, mostly jazz-alternately bluesy and torchy-but with a sprinkling of folk ballads that she sings with haunting delicacy (Sting's "Fields Of Gold" being the stand out track). Perfectionist that she was, Cassidy refused to let this album be released unless a studio track-Pete Seeger's "Oh, Had I A Golden Thread"-was also included. But every track is a polished jewel in her hands: the limpid beauty of Johnny Mercer's evergreen "Autumn Leaves", the swinging blues of Billie Holiday's "Fine And Mellow", the uptempo soul of Al Green's "Take Me To The River". There are only four albums featuring Eva Cassidy, and one of those is a compilation of the other three, so for anyone who is haunted by her voice, Live At Blues Alley is a must-have. [+]

The English-language Oral Fixation Vol. 2 finds Shakira reclaiming some of the bite she showcased on 1998's smashing Donde Estan Los Ladrones? The Colombian rock goddess is making up for lost time: this is her second disc of new material in 2005. It's quite a feat, considering the four-year gap since Laundry Service, her scattershot, English-language debut album. Oral Fixation Vol. 2 is more mature and better focused than the spin-cycle pop of that 2001 disc. Kick-off track "How Do You Do" starts with a haunting reading of "The Lord's Prayer" before launching into a risky questioning of faith and religion. Shakira touches on the highs and lows of celebrity on a trio of tracks-the bittersweet "Your Embrace," the guitar-driven "Costume Makes the Clown," and the disco-fied, politically charged "Timor. " Selfish men and failed relationships-two oft-mentioned topics of interest-anchor much of Oral Fixation Vol. 2. First single "Don't Bother" is a bitter ode to strength, jealousy, and survival; "Dreams for Plans" is a wistful collage of relationship memories; and Carlos Santana slides a sexy guitar riff under soulful standout track "Illegal. [+]

"Fell on Black Days", indeed. Seattle sludge slingers Soundgarden made a living out of cathartic, woe-is-me wailing (we're talking the banshee vocals of Chris Cornell and the crypt-creaking guitar of Kim Thayil), but this wallowing in grim depression ironically proved to be the band's most uplifting career effort. When the reclusive Cornell ventures out of his shy-guy shell, it's typically via a primal scream of cathartic emotion-he might camp it up with a sophomoric "Spoon Man", but most of this vicious disc leaps straight for your jugular. Generations in the post-millennial future will one day refer to this record to discover exactly how 1990s rock & roll was done. -Tom Lanham.

Although he rose from the ranks of journeyman 60s' folksingers to become a potent and consistent 70s hit-maker, Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot's stock-in-trade was as much hard-eyed, dispassionate observation as it was romance or poetic whimsy. Perhaps that's why his songs have been covered by everyone from Elvis (this sets "Early Morning Rain") to Dylan. If there's such a thing as an alpha-male folkie, Lightfoot certainly fits the bill. Spanning the tongue-in-cheek chauvinism of 1965's "For Lovin' Me" and the cheatin' ways of "Sundown", to more introspective fare like "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Beautiful", this 20-track collection presents a concise primer on Lightfoot's career and craft. While his career peaked with one of the most unlikely Top Five hits ever, the gloom-laden 1976 narrative "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", Lightfoot's production tailed off sharply thereafter, though this anthology's "Stay Loose" (86) and "Restless" (93) are testament to his enduring skills as a songwriter and performer. -Jerry McCulley.

The Traveling Wilburys were one of the few supergroups that lived up to their promise, because they didn't try to. Things started inauspiciously when George Harrison, needing a B-side for a 1988 single, called in friends Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison for assistance. Two albums later-the second without Orbison, who had passed away shortly after the first was released-the loose-knit collective had recorded material that was as durable, and occasionally eclipsed, the participants' legendary solo work. The Wilburys succeeded due to a genial and contagious camaraderie that permeates both discs. What could have been a train wreck of ego clashes instead resulted in a frothy meeting of the minds. These guys are having a blast, trading lead vocals and harmonies on energetic folk-rock, quirky rockabilly, and Beatlesque pop that shimmers with the respect and esteem the members clearly hold for each other. Harrison and Lynne's rather slick production polishes off edges that might better have been left unvarnished, but there's no denying the loosey-goosey craftsmanship at work in tunes such as "Handle with Care," "End of the Line," and a striking Orbison performance on "Not Alone Anymore" that ranks with any of his finest. Both albums were million-sellers, but oddly went out of print for about a decade until Rhino resurrected them, adding two rare tracks per disc. The resulting package is a comprehensive overview of a once-well, twice-in-a-lifetime project that, especially after Harrison's passing, will never be repeated. -Hal Horowitz.

This was pretty much the only occasion on which Brian Wilson managed to articulate his extraordinary musical vision over the length of an album. As such, Pet Sounds is not merely one of the greatest records ever made, but also one of the towering masterpieces of 20th-century art. Every song here, from the exuberant introduction of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" to the concluding, wistful lament of "Caroline No", is definitive pop music. Wilson's fantastical orchestrations and harmonies support a collection of lyrics which are childishly innocent almost to the point of appearing sinister-no album has ever started with a less traditionally rock & roll sentiment than "Wouldn't it be nice if we were married?". When delivered in Wilson's anguished whine, the effect is gloriously heartbreaking-as statements of naked vulnerability go, "I Know There's An Answer" and "I Just \ Wasn't Made For These Times" remain difficult to top. Popular legend has it that when the fiercely insecure and competitive Wilson, a year on from Pet Sounds, heard the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, he was devastated. He needn't have worried. Pet Sounds wasn't trumped then, and it won't be anytime in the future. -Andrew Mueller.