Greatest Hits

So this is what it comes to in the 21st century music business. It's where an artist like comes out of nowhere, skyrockets to the top of the charts with her first single which becomes an anthem, sells millions and millions of copies of her debut album, , releases two more fine offerings -- and (her best) -- and then gets dropped by her label because she can't duplicate her initial success. To be fair, never had a chance to sell as many records as her debut again; it was an anomaly that plenty of acts have been party to. (Remember the ?). Her final album is this package. As a compilation, 's hits offering succeeds because it contains all the singles -- all of which were very successful videos played in heavy rotation on , too. It contains ten studio cuts that include (with a fine duet appearance by ), and In other words, it has everything the more casual listener would ever want on a best-of set. Hardcore fans already have these tracks, but this makes for a great mixtape. As a bonus, there's an eleventh track: her own killer live rendition of 's began her own imprint, , where she continues to record and tour very successfully. ~ Thom Jurek