The Definitive Collection [Original recording remastered, Import]

The new tracks prove that he hasn't lost his touch, and his collaboration with Enrique Iglesias on track 19 is breathtaking.

Great buy

It's pretty easy to find your favorite Lionel Richie track here. Whether you enjoy "Three Times A Lady", "All Night Long (All Night)", "Say You, Say Me" or "Dancing On The Ceiling", you will not be disappointed by this cd. I was certainly surprised to find that my favorite Lionel song, 1992's "Do It To Me", was included, since it's the only one of his solo Motown singles not to hit the top 10 that is included here (1987's "Se La' also didn't make the top 20 but isn't included here). I also enjoyed some of his songs that were big hits their first time out but not that big today: "Stuck On You", "Penny Lover", "Ballerina Girl", "You Are" and "Running With The Night".

Lionel recorded some new tracks for this album as well. "To Love A Woman" is a country - tinged Enrique Inglesias duet that harkens back to some of his earlier work, and "Goodbye", a simple piano - driven ballads whose roots lie in "Truly" and "Easy".

There are a few top 10 hits missing from this cd that I would have loved to have seen included, both solo and with The Commodores. They are:

"Sweet Love" (number 5)
"Brick House" (number 5)
"Lady (You Bring Me Up)" (number 8)
"Oh No" (number 4)
"My Love" (number 5)
"Love Will Conquer All (number 9)

Those songs aside, this is an excellent collection of classic music that should be cherished for years to come. Also, pick up the aformentioned "Just For You" cd, and catch Lionel's daughter Nicole on Fox's "The Simple Life".

For a cd with his most popular hits, "The Definitve Collection" can hardly be beat. Songs like "Hello", "Three Times A Lady", "All Night Long", "Endless Love" (with Diana Ross), "Say You, Say Me" and "Dancing On The Ceiling" have become engraved in American pop culture and remain radio staples. Songs like "Penny Lover", "Stuck On You" and "You Are" rank among his finest efforts of all time, while "Do It To Me" remains my favorite, with a sweeping melody and a nice, mellow saxophone. And then there's "Angel". This is such a great song. I remember hearing this song at least once a day on some radio station on the way to work. The two new tracks are really special. The counrry - tinged Enrique Iglesias duet "To Love A Woman" and the haunting "Goodbye" prove he still has golden touch.

Alas, it's still not a perfect collection. This could've been a two - disc set, as there are many songs with The Commodores plus some solo hits that could've been included. Here a list of some (if not all) of those songs, plus their chart positions:

"Machine Gun" (number 22)
"Sweet Love" (number 5)

"Brick House" (don't knwo exactly what its peak position was, but was a top 10 hit)
"Oh No" (number 4)
"My Love" (number 5)
"Love Will Conquer All" (number 9)
"Se La" (number 20)
"Don't Wanna Lose You" (number 39)

I would also like the to have included his live version of "All Night Long (All Night" from the 1984 Olympics as a bonus track, but otherwise, this a great cd filled with countless hours of classic music. Get it today.