A complement to the US compilation
R. Riis | NY | 03/25/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Not quite interchangeable with the US "You Broke My Heart..." (Rhino)collection, since this one has seven tracks (3,4,10,14,18,20,21) not on that disk. Consider this one as a complement to "You Broke...", which should be your first choice for its better song selection, but do pick this up. Ullman has an obvious affection for girl group and pop readymades that is fun to listen to."
Sensational Stiff collection!
jon sieruga | Redlands, CA USA | 04/15/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Like a British Lily Tomlin, Tracey Ullman has a great gift for mimicry--not impersonations, but creating new and eccentric characters that attempt to mirror humanity. Also like Lily Tomlin, Ullman is an actress of some surprising skill, and she's actually much more endearing just playing ordinary women in comical situations ("I Love You to Death", "A Dirty Shame"). I don't know if her short-lived singing career was reflective of the Real Tracey, but indeed the music seems to have splintered off from her natural personality and effervescence, and this imbues the material (girl group, New Wave, retro pop) with jubulient, engaging sass. This Best-Of on the U.K. Stiff label is a very enjoyable outing complete with informative liner notes and chart information. Ullman considered this portion of her career a complete fluke, and word has it that her vocals were sweeted a bit in the studio, but that doesn't matter because her spirit comes through--she's alternately romantic ("They Don't Know", a note-for-note copy of the Kirsty MacColl original), swooning ("Move Over Darling"), heart-rending ("Shattered"), comically forlorn ("Sunglasses", one of her very best), nostalgic ("Life is a Rock", a Reunion cover with a how-did-they-do-that? rapping effect), and vulnerable ("You Broke My Heart in 17 Places"). She's tough but tender, wise and vulnerable. If this was truly all an act, and it probably was (with tongue greatly in cheek), it was still quite a gift to anyone who loves big, Spector-ish, romantic pop music. Out of the 21 tracks here, only two or three miss the mark, and that's a pretty good average for a comedienne who considered her music career a lark."
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1