:: Annie Lennox - The Annie Lennox Collection

Annie Lennox

It is hard to believe that former Eurythmics frontwoman, Annie Lennox has now been doing solo material for eighteen years. Lennox has had a marvellous career to date, her cutting-edge (sometimes experimental) sound has meant even though she rarely produces a bad track her songs are often ignored by commercial radio, meaning she has been able to rest in the shadows of artists such as Madonna or Cher. Having such a long career means that Lennox has been able to create a ‘Best Of’ that contains some absolute gems and is terrific farewell to Sony, the label she has called home for a long time now. But of course Lennox being Lennox she couldn’t just rest on her laurels and release an album of all her hits. No, ‘The Annie Lennox Collection’ sees her mix her hits with some of the most interesting songs she has ever created… including two new previously unreleased tracks. Even the cover art is made interesting by the fact that the photos have been taken by Canadian pop-star, Bryan Adams. The two new tracks are some of the best tracks to be found here. ‘Pattern Of My Life’ is actually a cover of Keane’s B-Side ‘Closer Now’ while Lennox takes a turn for the rockier side with a cover of Ash’s ‘Shining Light’… a style that strangely suits Lennox to a T. Another absolute gem to be found here is ‘Love Song For A Vampire’. A haunting pop classic (and rarity) that Lennox recorded for Francis Ford Coppola’s film ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’. ‘The Annie Lennox Collection’ really does show off Lennox’s career, from her best-ever track, ‘No More I Love You’s’ to her broken-heart classic ‘Why’. This album also showcases Lennox’s variety in styles over the years with the unique pop sound of ‘Little Bird’, he border-line Enigma-sounding ‘Walking On Broken Glass’ to he brilliant soulful hits ‘Precious’ and ‘Sing.’ Her songwriting skills are on show with ‘Pavement Cracks’ while this wouldn’t be a Lennox ‘Best Of’ without ballads like ‘A Winter Shade Of Pale’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Dark Road’ being on display. This is one ‘Best Of’ album that simple isn’t just a money-earner… this is an album that truly shows of the skills of one remarkable performer.