Sharon's "Best Of" is a good collection of songs with a few semi-rarities as an added bonus.
Is this a definitive collection of her work, well not exactly,such a package would fill at least a double release due to the vast amount of material, arguably Australia's greatest ever female singer/songwriter has written and recorded. All the hits are there (and pleasing for this reviewer is they've been put in chronological order), "Words", "Maybe","Maxine","Asian Paradise","Losing You" through to her later hits "Physical Favours", "Danced In The Fire" and "Satin Sheets" plus tracks from the independent new zealand movie soundtrack ''Smash Palace"..
Album artwork and packaging is a little on the sparse side with no back cover photo and only
a small somewhat murky (albeit reacent) small black and white photo on the inner sleeve of the front cover. It is interesting that sony chose to use smaller version images from 4 of her past albums as the main cover photo in a kind of collage. Is this some kind of marketing ploy used incase they think the great CD buying public may have forgotten who Sharon is? Full track listing details are included and as always with every one of Sharon's releases there is the personal thankyou to ''the poet and the painter''. A short message to the fans from sharon in the inner sleeve is a nice touch,but there are no lyrics included.An odd ommisssion for a Shaz release. Especially considering the inclusion on this album of hits are the likes of "Power" and "Water For The Flowers" two tracks not available on any other official Sharon release.
The bonus live version of "Maxine" arguably sharon's signature tune was a nice addition. Taken from the official "When The Cats Away" Live cd,an album recorded during the 2001 tour of sharon's native new zealand.This live cd wasn't released in Australia for some odd reason so it's a nice inclusion for her legion of aussie fans. Though this cd is available on import from various NZ stores such as "Marbecks". Having attended sharon's reacent canberra concert as part of the leo sayer tour I have to say she sounds even better now than on this 2001 nz tour.
Let's hope the current tour and some deacent publicity for the album adds up to big sales of this long awaited release which will not only remind the public of just how talented Sharon is,please the fans who've waited so long for such a compilation, but puts Sharon back on the aussie album charts - right where she belongs!
HOW DO YOU TALK TO BOYS
ASIAN PARADISE
BABY DON'T FIGHT
WAITING FOR YOU
MAYBE
FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA
SMASH PALACE
HOLD ON LOVE
LOSING YOU
MAXINE
DANGER
POWER
PHYSICAL FAVOURS
DANCED IN THE FIRE
WATER FOR THE FLOWERS
SATIN SHEETS
MAXINE (LIVE)
