All Hits Review

07/13/2005 7:14 AM, AMG


All Saints weren't together that long, only two albums and a handful of singles, but that was enough to rack up a bunch of tabloid headlines, several celebrity romances (Shaznay with Damon Albarn, Nic B with Robbie Williams and Liam Gallagher), one skin-baring movie for the sisters Blatt, and several big U.K. hits (and a few minor U.S. hits). It might not be a lot for a hits collection, but it was enough as the 13-track collection All Hits proves. This is padded out a bit, with two '98 remixes (one of "Lady Marmalade," one of "War of Nerves"), the original hit version of the spectacular "Pure Shores," plus the "2 Da Beach U Don't Stop Remix," and it bends the rules by featuring "Twentyfourseven," a hit by Artful Dodger featuring Melanie Blatt's vocals, but that's not necessarily a bad thing (particularly in the case of "Twentyfourseven"), since this does consolidate the basic hits -- "Pure Shores," "Never Ever," "Under the Bridge," "I Know Where It's At," "Black Coffee," "Bootie Call" -- onto one disc. All Saints did make good albums -- both of their records hold their own against the Spice Girls -- but inevitably some will just want to hear the hits, and this does an excellent job of serving them up with style. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide