PIAF, EDITH

It would be impossible, in 15 songs, to fully encapsulate the woman who was Edith Piaf and what she meant to French music. Capitol's The Very Best of Edith Piaf in no way accomplishes this, but still, it's a noble attempt. The label itself, however, seemed to realize the 1987 album's shortcomings, as four years later Capitol issued the superior The Voice of the Sparrow: The Very Best of Edith Piaf, which contains the exact same 15 songs as this one (in the exact same order) and then tacks on the much-loved and needed "L'Accordéoniste" as well as "Avant Nous" and "La Goualante du Pauvre Jean." In fact, because of those additions, and everything else being equal, the 1991 compilation is a much better choice. Both albums do put more focus on the latter part of her career (there's no "Mon Legionnaire," for example), but they're good, albeit incomplete, overviews of what Piaf gave listeners everywhere. ~ Marisa Brown, AMG

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