SINGER is a new compilation album from Sony BMG that takes some of the most well-known singer/songwriter tracks ever produced and brings decades of music together on two CDs.

In doing so, it also attempts to deliver an eclectic mix of acoustic, soul, jazz, blues and pop singer/songwriter classics, whether it’s classics including Wild Is The Wind by David Bowie, Bob Dylan’s Baby, Stop Crying or Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, to more recent hits such as Amy Winehouse’s Love Is A Losing Game, Newton Faulkner’s haunting cover version of Teardrop, or James Blunt’s 1973.

But is it worthwhile owning? Yes and no. There’s no denying the mix is fairly eclectic, but some of the selections are rather obvious and uninspired. Amy Winehouse, for instance, continues to be given a little too much prominence, while songs from Dido and James Blunt are just plain over-played.

Likewise, the selections from Norah Jones (Come Away With Me), Daniel Powter (Bad Day), Van Morrison (Brown Eyed Girl), and Katie Melua (Nine Million Bicycles). Surely, if you really want to showcase the brilliance of these singer-songwriters, the selections should be a little more surprising rather than conforming to such popular choices. Chances are, you’ll already have these stand-alone tracks among your collection anyway.

More inspired are the selection of Teardrop, from Newton Faulker, or Please Forgive Me, from David Gray, or even Wild Is The Wind, as the Bowie selection. While the likes of Jeff Buckley’s much-celebrated Hallelujah and Dylan’s Baby, Stop Crying are fit to grace any compilation CD.

But, while Singers undoubtedly has some highpoints, it’s a compilation collection that opts to play it safe, rather than really attempting to celebrate the skills of the artists involved.

Track listing:
CD1

1. Daniel Powter – Bad Day
2. Sarah Bareilles – Love Song
3. Michael Buble – Lost
4. Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
5. Amy Winehouse – Love Is A Losing Game
6. Dido – White Flag
7. Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah
8. Damien Rice – Canonball
9. Paolo Nutini – Last Request
10. Katie Melua – Nine Million Bicycles
11. Newton Faulkner – Teardrop
12. Eva Cassidy – Fields of Gold
13. Will Young – Leave Right Now
14. James Blunt – 1973
15. David Gray – Please Forgive Me
16. James Morrison – You Give Me Something
17. Paul Weller – Wild Wood
18. John Mayer – Waiting On The World To Change
19. Rufus Wainright – Going To A Town

1. Elton John – Your Song
2. Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
3. George Michael – Praying For Time
4. Annie Lennox – Why
5. Kate Bush – Moments of Pleasure
6. David Bowie – Wild Is The Wind
7. Lou Reed – Perfect Day
8. Sade – By Your Side
9. KD Lang – Constant Craving
10. Bruce Hornsby & The Range – The Way It Is
11. Marianne Faithful – The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
12. Tori Amos – 1,000 Oceans
13. Rickie Lee Jones – Chuck E’s In Love
14. Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
15. Bob Dylan – Baby, Stop Crying
16. Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting
17. Stevie Nicks – Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You
18. Sheryl Crow – Run Baby Run
19. Carly Simon – That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be

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