Search - Billie Piper :: The Best of Billie

Piper Primer

E.A. Week | Boston, MA USA | 12/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone looking for an introduction to Billie Piper's music (especially American fans of her acting who were unaware of her brief teen pop stardom) might want to make this disk their first stop. The fifteen-track collection includes her seven UK singles: "Because We Want To," "Girlfriend," "She Wants You," and "Honey to the Bee," (all from her first CD, Honey to the B); "Day & Night," "Something Deep Inside," and "Walk of Life" (all from her second CD, Walk of Life). Also of interest to the serious Piper collector are three non-CD b-sides, "First Love," "GHETTOUT," and "Caress the Gold."



The remaining songs are non-single CD tracks: "The Tide is High" (slated to be the fourth single from Walk of Life), "Party on the Phone," "I Dream," "Bring it On," and "Promises." Of this group, only "I Dream" and "Bring it On" aren't up to the standards of the other tracks, and it's nothing short of criminal that "Love Groove," "Don't Forget to Remember," and especially "Misfocusing" were left off this collection. Still, The Very Best of Billie is an excellent cross-section of Piper's work: funky, danceable synth-pop odes to love, sex, teenage independence, and just plain old fun. Piper may not have the sheer vocal power of, say, Christina Aguilera, but she can more than hold her own against the Britneys, Jessicas, and Mandys who cluttered up the music scene in the late '90s and early '00s--and in many ways, Piper's work is more versatile and intelligently crafted. In fact, the only reason why Piper probably never broke in the States is that we already had a surfeit of similar (if inferior) teenage female pop starlets. Our loss.



Listeners who find The Very Best of Billie to their liking should seek out her full-length CDs to pick up the songs omitted from this collection. Hardcore fans may also want to add as many of her CD singles as they can locate, not only for the remixes and non-CD b-sides but for the attractive posters that are often included. Some of these are already hard to find, and if Piper never returns to music, they'll only become more rare with the passing years."

Interesting

Dragashani | Beyond the Sun | 04/21/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm really not much of a pop music fan, but I decided to pick this up anyway out of curiosity. Like most of Billie Piper's fans here in the states I was more familiar with her as an actress courtesy of the updated Doctor Who series than as a singer. Anyways, Billie Piper's got a decent voice, much better than those over-hyped, WAY over-played Brittney's & Jessica's that unfortunately grew to popularity state-side. The songs themselves aren't really all that memorable, but have a catchy enough beat to keep you entertained on short car trips, if you could listen to it in your car. I wouldn't go out of my way to pick up her other cds like the other reviewer recommends, but that's more due to my personal tastes in music than a diss on Billie as a performer.



Also, there is one serious drawback to this cd, and the reason I hesitantly give it a fourth star. EMI has gone way overboard on it's 'anti-piracy' protection and the cd has an annoying tendency to make this static/vibration sound every 10 seconds or so on every single song when I play it on my car stereo (hence my earlier comment), or my computer, or my stereo. In fact, the only thing that has played it for me clearly thus far is the cd player in my alarm clock which doesn't exactly offer the greatest sound. Maybe mine is just a fluke, but be prepared for problems listening to this cd."

A pop star with true talent!

Gregory Bernard Banks | Atlanta area | 01/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I grew to love Billie Piper as an actress on the series "Doctor Who," but once I learned she had been a pop star previously, and heard some of her music through videos on YouTube, I just had to buy her album. So I chose her greatest hits in order to get a cross sampling of all her work. And now I find myself listening to her songs almost every day.



Unlike other American pop divas, Piper is a truly talented artist. I've seen her seemingly instinctive skills as an actress, and now it's clear to me that her skills as a singer and dancer are equally as natural. From up tempo dance songs to slow ballads, Piper seems capable of taking them all on with ease, and most importantly, she doesn't need to try to emulate other artists. She simply makes them her own.



By no means am I saying that Billie Piper is the greatest performer ever born. There are others with more powerful voices, and I'm sure there are others who are more dynamic dancers. But when you have someone with versatility, who can both sing and dance very well, and then on top of that adds their own style and charm to the mix, you're bound to have a recipe for stardom.



I don't know if Ms. Piper will ever record again, but as pop music goes, especially music that you can give to your kids and not worry about the content of the lyrics, this is an album you should really check out.



- Gregory Bernard Banks, author"