Annie Lennox - The Annie Lennox Collection [2LP]

Seventeen years of Annie Lennox's solo career fit neatly into The Annie Lennox Collection, the 2009 best-of that tracks one of pop's most commanding voices from Diva onward, here as a UK import.

After Eurythmics, Lennox could have played it safe. Instead, her 1992 solo debut Diva set a new course, pairing elegant, adult pop with lyrics that could be sly, wounded or fiercely political. This collection follows that path through Medusa, Bare and Songs of Mass Destruction, and adds two new recordings, including her version of Ash's "Shining Light".

The early hits still glow. "Why" remains one of pop's great confessional ballads, cool and devastating, while "Walking on Broken Glass" sparkles with strings and sly wit. "Little Bird" lifts off on a joyous, dancefloor-ready pulse, and "No More 'I Love You's'" turns a cult cover into something theatrical and gorgeous. Later songs like "A Thousand Beautiful Things" and "Dark Road" show how her writing deepened with time, while "Sing" gathers a choir of famous guest voices behind her activism. Her voice, rich and unshowy, carries everything with remarkable poise.

It is the ideal single stop for anyone who wants the essential Lennox in one place. For longtime admirers, it plays like a well-curated greatest hits should, one gem after another.