The Very Best Of Sheryl Crow [Extra tracks]

All I Wanna Do- The "Record of The Year" at the Grammys, Sheryl's breath through song that put her on the map and helped her album sell millions worldwide. No matter where you are, it's hard to hum the chorus of this huge hit that sold a million copies and reached the top 5 US chart in a matter of weeks!

Soak up the Sun- the 2002 hit that reawakened her success, she rose up the charts once again, after some years of silence. This sunny, cheerful hit is one of her best yet.

My Favourite Mistake- great alternative rock song!

First Cut Is The Deepest- Sheryl's remake of this hit is even better than the original. No wonder why it's still in the US' top 20 "adult contemporary" playlists!

Everyday Is A Winding Road- This 1996 song that was featured in 2000's Erin Brokovich is my all-time favourite Sheryl Crow single. From the loud rock music to one of the best and catchiest choruses ever, this song is one of the album's highlights.

Difficult Kind- powerful duet sung with soft songstress Sarah McLachlan.

Picture- the hit duet sung with Kidrock that was one of only three songs to be certified Gold that year!

Steve McQueen- Yet another Grammy-winning hotshot single with an exceptional video!

In short, from the Lillith fairs, the changing styles of music, and the powerful voice to the loud beats and classic aura about her, she has more than proven herself. This album is a must-have!

Her initial release was so much more than "All I Want To Do" and I was really attracted to her mix of songs (and the woman too) such as "Strong Enough", "I Shall Believe" and "Leaving Las Vegas." Quite a feat for a debut. I also love "Run, Baby, Run", "Can't Cry Anymore", and "What I Can Do For You, which are not included here, but the collection can't be faulted as it clocks in almost at the maximum that a CD will allow.

Sheryl followed her debut her a self titled release that brought us the quiet yet AMAZING "Home" (I can't get enough of this song) and the bigger hits "If It Makes You Happy", "Everyday Is A Winding Road", and "A Change Would Do You Good".

Her "The Globe Sessions" release brought us the huge hit "My Favorite Mistake", "There Goes The Neighborhood" (which I am only appreciating now in this context) and "The Difficult Kind". That release also has one one of my Sheryl favorites: "Anything But Down", also not included but again does not take away from this 5 star review. Her most recent relase, "C'mon, C'mon" again elevated Sheryl's profile with the catchy "Soak Up The Sun" and it's corresponding video, which dominated the airwaves in a time when it's a tough feat for a non-novelty song artist. From that release we also get "Steve McQueen", which has a great from Steve Miller's "Take The Money And Run". It's not my favorite Sheryl song, but again it was a hit and liked by many and deserves to be here.

This release also includes a couple of new songs (one written by her and the other is a classic first released by Cat Stevens and subsequently sung in its definitive version by Rod Stewart)as well as the amazing "Picture" duet with Kid Rock. Thank God that this CD came out now as I was seriously going to have to contemplate buying the Kid Rock CD just for that song.

All in all this is a perfect collection that not only will satisfy her more casual fans, but it certainly pleases this huge fan as the non-chronological playlist plays to the listeners advantage. In fact, this release (with the exception of her debut CD) may be the most cohesive way to enjoy Sheryl's charms.

One minor quibble, two versions of "The First Cut Is The Deepest" are not that different from one another and the exclusion of either could have left room to include any of my other favorites (including other covers and her great contribution to the James Bond franchise, but that does not detract from a true 5 star review and the hope that a few years from now there will be a second volume as I hope that Sheryl continues to do her thing and have the type of longevity enjoyed by Bonnie Raitt, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, and VERY FEW others.

Go buy this now and you can find it at a very reasonable price in accordance with Universal's new pricing strategy, which I hope works as good music and reasonable prices is all that is required to keep any music company churning out whatever profits they require to quit whinning about all the things that are keeping them from selling in the multiples they grew to expect.