Since her maiden single, "Dreams", debuted at No. 1 in 1997, Gabrielle has gone from strength to strength releasing a string of soulful hits-as featured on this compilation. From the tearjerker "Out of Reach" (from Bridget Jones's Diary) to her recent Top 10 hit "Don't Need the Sun to Shine (To Make Me Smile)" and her fantastic cover of the Dionne Warwick classic "Walk On By", Gabrielle opts for deeply felt music which, she has admitted, often reflects on her own life. Also included in this selection is "If You Ever" (featuring E17) and the wonderfully positive "Rise" taken from the album of the same name which heralded her re-establishment as one of the UK's most successful singer/songwriters. -Norma Powell.

Defiant, sexy, playful, nervy, womanly, and wise, 1988's Raw Like Sushi was the opening salvo in Neneh Cherry's brilliant, if woefully underappreciated, career. The hit "Buffalo Stance," with its reworking of Malcolm McLaren's Buffalo Gals vibe, found Cherry erroneously labeled as a rap artist. True enough, there are hip-hop elements on Raw Like Sushi, as well as pop, electronic, R&B, and dance, all gleefully mixed up in a progressive melange of beats, cultures, emotions, and grooves. Besides being fierce, funky, and one of the best debuts in memory, Raw Like Sushi helped redefine what women could do in the rigid realm of late-'80s African American music, and it sounds as good today as it did the day it was released. -Amy Linden.

Given the pace of Michael Jackson's post-Thriller release schedule, it's striking that Off the Wall appeared between two albums-Destiny (1978) and Triumph (1980)-which the twentysomething phenomenon made with his brothers. Aided by richly detailed but not overdone production, Off the Wall defined how much Michael might do. Tracks such as "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough", "Rock with You", "Burn this Disco Out" and the title track not only consolidated his dancefloor power, but showed just how soulful and varied his vocals could get on up-tempo material. Artistic role models such as James Brown and Jackie Wilson echo through the mixes, but these were Jackson's leaps forward. The addition of pure pop confection-Paul McCartney's "Girlfriend", Stevie Wonder's "I Can't Help It"-further fleshed out the star's young-adult persona and helped make Off the Wall among the most fondly remembered of all his solo work. This "special edition" features two magic home demos and entertaining, insightful interviews with producer Quincy Jones and "Rock with You" composer Rod Temperton. -Rickey Wright.

Sly & The Family Stone might have psychedelicised soul music, but Marvin Gaye personalised it. Although the powers-that-were Motown didn't even want to release the record, the unexpected success of What's Going On, issued in 1971, inspired Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and just about every other black artist on the planet to take greater responsibility for their music and its meaning. Gaye co-wrote the songs and produced the album, flavouring it with layer upon layer of his own multi-tracked vocals, oceans of hand percussion, strings, flutes and jazzy horn solos. Spacy and loose as a spliff-fuelled Sunday afternoon jam in the park, the nine songs all played like hit singles. The title track- inspired by his brother's return from the Vietnam War-and the obvious social commentary of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" actually were hit singles. Two other tracks ("Wholly Holy" and "Save the Children") would inspire hit covers by Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, respectively. Nevertheless, What's Going On sounds as fresh today as it did the week that it came out. -Don Waller.

The songs from this 1972 album perfectly illustrate the contrasting sides of Wonder's complex personality: "Superstition" is a strong rocker, a paranoid bit of wah-wah guitar funk that's as persistent as the best punk music; the opening track, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", is a pure love song that would sound corny coming from any other voice. A hint of bitterness, perhaps owing to Wonder's then-dissolving marriage, gives Talking Book its edge. But overall it's obsessed with love, and while "Sunshine" is still one of the singer/keyboardist's most beloved songs, the closing "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" is much deeper and more rewarding. -Steve Knopper.

"We wanted a tough album," producer Quincy Jones recalls in a bonus interview on this special edition of Bad. Though the 1987 blockbuster would appear to be Michael Jackson's most personal statement to date-nine of its 11 cuts were written solely by him-its appeal also rested more on craft than the idiosyncratic art of Thriller and Off the Wall. At the same time, most of Bad has aged well in spite of its digital brittleness and MIDI treatments of gems such as Jimmy Smith's organ solo on the title track. While the third best of his first three Epic solo discs, Bad carries a lot of what people love about Jackson's music. This disc also benefits from two fine outtakes, the exciting, up-tempo "Streetwalker" and the Carpenters homage "Fly Away". Either could easily have extended the record's run of hit singles. -Rickey Wright.

HIStory's two CDs (one hits, the other new) were Jackson's attempt to connect his glorious past to a dodgy present and-given it's commercial and artistic performance-cast a shadow on his future. Conceived as his formal coronation as the "King of Pop", HIStory's second disc instead presents Jackson as an epauletted, single-gloved Richard III. By turns paranoid, angry, bitter, sentimental, and, in one instance, possibly anti-Semitic, HIStory was less a collection of songs than a case history. A few tracks-mostly those produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-are sleek, modern pop/soul, but too much of HIStory has the overblown vacuousness of a musician who knows his time is past, but is unsure as to how to react to the situation. -Steven Mirkin HIStory's 2 CDs (one hits, the other new) were Jackson's attempt to connect his glorious past to a dodgy present and-given it's commercial and artistic performance-cast a shadow on his future. Conceived as his formal coronation as the "King of Pop," HIStory's second disc instead presents Jackson as an epauletted, single-gloved Richard III. By turns paranoid, angry, bitter, sentimental, and, in one instance, possibly anti-Semitic, HIStory was less a collection of songs than a case history. A few tracks-mostly those produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-are sleek, modern pop/soul, but too much of HIStory has the overblown vacuousness of a musician who knows his time is past, but is unsure as to how to react to the situation. -Steven Mirkin.

Songs in the Key of Life was the highest high-point of Stevie Wonder's career. More sprawling than Innervisions and Talking Book, this 2 LP-plus-EP was also less of a consistent stunner than either of those masterworks. That Songs retains an enormous amount of visionary relevance, though, is demonstrated not only in Coolio's borrowing of "Pastime Paradise" as a template for "Gangsta's Paradise", but in the cold-as-ice synthesized string quartet of "Village Ghetto Land". This is Stevie, so naturally that cut's anger is balanced by the ultra-buoyant "I Wish," "Sir Duke", and "Another Star". -Rickey Wright.

Michael Jackson's Thriller is the bestselling album of all time, with 45 million worldwide sales powered by eight Grammy Awards. The 1982 album was also a success from which the pop superstar never really recovered-subsequent albums seemed to have no other goal than to beat the records set by Thriller. The highly- polished sound of Quincy Jones's production sounds almost organic compared to Jackson's more recent work, and in the same regard, Thriller was significantly slicker than its predecessor, Off the Wall. Both albums established a Jackson style that aimed for the dance floor with songs built on a state-of-the-art bed of percussion and keyboards. Elements of milestone Thriller tracks like "Billie Jean" (arguably Jackson's best-ever performance) and "Beat It" (with its hard- rock solo by guitarist Eddie Van Halen) influenced not just Jackson's records, but those of the entire dance-pop world. On the song "Thriller", Jackson indulged his taste for the juvenile and invited Vincent Price to rap in a really scary voice. With Thriller the album, Jackson created a different kind of monster-a hit album of such magnitude that it would have an irrevocable impact not just on the singer's art, but on his altogether kooky life. -John Milward.

Balancing raw power with shades of vulnerability, Gaye rose to the top of Motown's roster without the benefit of a supporting vocal group. Whether singing love songs or social commentary, Gaye's voice displays an earnestness and sincerity that are a soul singer's most potent weapons. Among these 47 hits are his memorable duets with Mary Wells, Kim Weston and Tammi Terrell along with Motown staples such as "Can I Get a Witness", "How Sweet It Is", "Ain't That Peculiar" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". This set also covers socially conscious 1970s originals such as "What's Going On", "Mercy, Mercy Me" and "Inner City Blues". Only his last hit, "Sexual Healing", is left out. -Marc Greilsamer.

M!ssundaztood is the follow-up to Pink's platinum selling debut. On Can't Take Me Home Pink established herself as one of the biggest R&B/pop acts of 2000; a status she later confirmed by stealing the limelight from fellow divas-with-attitude Missy Elliott, Mya and Christina Aguilera on their No. 1 cover of "Lady Marmalade". M!ssundaztood, however, reveals an ambition that extends far beyond the massed ranks of R&B's feisty female fraternity. Pink wants to be a pop star, pure and simple. Consequently, as well as the tried and tested R&B groove of first single "Get The Party Started" and funky hip-hop of "Respect", she adds a random yet brilliant selection of full-blown radio rock ("18 Wheeler", "Numb"), sassy pop ("M!ssundaztood") and emotionally charged laments ("Dear Diary", "Family Portrait", "Eventually"). Stylistically confused as it is- "Misery", a woozy bar room blues duet with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler is perhaps the most out of character-with some great tunes and a voice just as capable of fragile emotion as it is attitude, she somehow manages to pull it off. -Dan Gennoe.

One of Stevie Wonder's best albums, and the one where his more fanciful, free-form moments gel perfectly with his knack for irresistible pop singles. 1973's Innervisions swings between delicate and airy ballads, Latin-influenced rhythms (the hit "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing"), and his own synth-heavy versions of gut-bucket soul (the determined spiritual questing of "Higher Ground"). The striking juxtaposition between "Vision", a barely breathed hope that a world of peace might be upon us, and the great "Living for the City", a funky, pulsing tale of racism, is powerful, haunting, and still all too relevant. -David Cantwell.

Following on from 1997's My Way, 8701 crowns Usher's position as R&B man of the moment. Never mind the hype about Michael Jackson, Wacko is going to have some serious competition in years to come. Usher is a rap singer and dance man with a twist. Rather than being R&B record designed by committee, every track on 8701 pulsates with the sense of a life lived, a strongly personal point of view-from the street slang of "Pop Ya Collar", to the nostalgic groove "U-Turn" ("I had a hot flat top/. the sound was Bobby Brown"), to the song "If U Want To", where Usher sings: "I can take you from your man", with vulnerability rather than braggadocio. Though cowritten and produced with a variety of names, including She'kspere and The Neptunes, the solid hip-hop undertow comes courtesy of Jermaine Dupri. Mixing slow jams with edgy beats and sweet melody, Usher has pulled off a triumph. -Lucy O'Brien.

These days she's fodder for tabloids and late-night comics, but way back in the 1990s Mariah Carey reigned as one of the world's bestselling female performers. This two-CD Greatest Hits collection offers up chart-topping evidence why, for better or worse, Mariah's five-octave, pop/R&B styling set the diva standard. Culled from her five albums on Sony, (before signing to Virgin), and you get all the facets of her platinum-plus sound. From the soulful smoulder of her 1990 debut "Vision of Love" (still one of her best tracks), to the coyer than thou duet with Jay Z ("Heartbreaker"), Carey thrills, trills and hits notes that only canines comprehend. Fans will gobble this collection up but inclusion of some of Carey's more adventurous remixes (eg: the Puffy produced "Fantasy", featuring ODB) might have made this package more noteworthy. -Amy Linden.

Michael Jackson was still going for pop hits with 1991's Dangerous, but he also front-loaded the album with six straight Teddy Riley-assisted cuts. This half-hour swoop of tense, aggressive, often angular funk was Jackson's most interesting music since Thriller, and still sounds, well, invincible on this remastered edition. After that, the record's uneven, but there's nothing embarrassing about it, either. "Gone Too Soon", a non-Jackson composition about teen AIDS casualty Ryan White, is a quiet statement (particularly played next to the choir-laden "Heal the World", "Keep the Faith", and "Will You Be There") showing that the star doesn't always have to get showy. The sprightly "Black or White" is explicitly pro-interracial romance, an angle its video didn't go near, and the urgent "Give In to Me" is almost scary. Scary good, that is. -Rickey Wright.

Stevie Wonder was in the middle of a multi-album roll when he put out this funk and soul collection, clunky title and all, in 1974. As usual, he adds depth and unexpected touches to even the most straightforward love song-the moving piano ballad "Too Shy to Say" has a spooky feeling, as if "I want to fly away with you, until there's nothing more to do" is the saddest line he ever sang. The harder songs, such as the fuzzy funk of "Boogie On Reggae Woman" and the angry "doo-de-wop" attack on then-US President Richard Nixon in "You Haven't Done Nothin'", add urgency without sacrificing the album's cohesiveness. -Steve Knopper.

In a career spanning four decades Steveland Judkins Morris has been many things: child star, funk hero, political chronicler, the saviour of Motown Records and depressingly, the instigator of the painfully schmaltzy R&B ballad. Thankfully, this exhaustive "Best Of. ", timed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his first appearance as Little Stevie Wonder, focuses mainly on the 1966-1980 glory years and his transition from incendiary soul man to voice of the 70s. The jackhammer beats, shout-along choruses and wailing harmonica peg "Uptight", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and "I Was Made To Love Her" as three of the finest anthems of the Motown era, and "My Cherie Amour" as one of its sweetest love songs. But it was when he turned his attention to grinding keyboard grooves and social concerns that Wonder really came into his own. Inspired by ghetto funk and the unrest in 70s America he delivered three staggering albums, Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. Those albums highlights, "Living for the City", "Higher Ground", "I Wish", the gospel powered "As" and life-affirming Duke Ellington-tribute "Sir Duke", account for The Definitive Collection's standout tracks, while the rocking synth strut and ferocious horns of "Superstition" provide the defining moment. Next to such musical genius, the 80s slush of Motown's biggest ever selling single, "I Just Called To Say I Love You" seems particularly insipid. [+]

Lionel's decision to release a second hits compilation within a decade may have had something to do with the fact that sales of the first were overshadowed by a spousal abuse charge; unsurprisingly then, there isn't too much to distinguish this from the other one. Certain critics have commended Lionel for having spurned the whims of fashion and persisted with sentimental love songs like "Say You Say Me" and "Penny Lover", whatever the weather, and, listening to the tacky 1980s synths of the more upbeat "Running With The Night", it's hard to disagree. Lionel's obviously at his most comfortable with the power ballad-so much so that he has no idea when to exercise a little restraint. For all its baggage-the sickly video with that blind girl and its terrible lyrics-there's the chord structure to a good Charles Aznavour song trying to get out of "Hello", but it's drowning in syrup. Perhaps it's time for a reunion of the old band: the inclusion of "Sail On", "Three Times A Lady" and "Easy" (all Commodores songs) suggests as much. -Peter Paphides.