O'CONNOR, SINEAD

So Far.The Best of Sinéad O'Connor falls halfway between a hits collection and a rarities compilation. O'Connor is an album artist who happens to deliver great singles as well, which means there will be essential tracks missing from a strict hits collection. So Far decides to circumvent this problem by combining album tracks with singles, but it doesn't always work, since it gives the patchy Universal Mother preference over the excellent debut The Lion and the Cobra and omits such singles as "Three Babies." Things are further muddled by the inclusion of the non-LP rarities "Heroine," "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" and "Empire." All three songs are worthy, but they would make more sense on a rarities collection, which could also feature B-sides and non-LP singles like "Silent Night" and "My Special Child," which have never appeared on an album. Sadly, those two songs are missing, but So Far does contain such essential songs as "Mandinka," "Troy," "Nothing Compares 2 U," "I Want Your (Hands on Me)," "I Am Stretched on Your Grave" and "The Emperor's New Clothes," which means this collection should appeal to casual fans, who want all the hits on one disc. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

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