Greatest Hits [Arista]

1	All That She Wants 3:31
2	The Sign 3:08
3	Everytime It Rains 4:18
4	Beautiful Life 3:39
5	Cruel Summer 3:32
6	Don't Turn Around 3:49
7	Lucky Love Acoustic Version 2:53
8	Always Have, Always Will 3:47
9	Life Is a Flower 3:44
10	C'Est la Vie Always 21 3:27
11	Lucky Love Frankie Knuckles Mix 3:42
12	Beautiful Life Junior Vasquez Mix 8:26

Barnes & Noble

Homer Simpson would be able to review this greatest hits collection with total conciseness, saying something like this: "Aaaaah! (drool) Sweet, sweet candy." And while there's absolutely no nutritional value to the 16 songs presented here, the glossy, sugary tones are positively addictive in their across-the-board tastiness. All of the Swedish quartet's chart-topping stateside hits are compiled here -- from the bright 'n' breezy "The Sign" to the slightly more subdued "All That She Wants" -- along with a smattering of singles that had more success on the other side of the pond, including a cover of Bananarama's "Cruel Summer." The nicely packaged set does more than just take a look back, however: Along with the new single, "Everytime It Rains," it includes a brace of remixes by dance floor mavens Frankie Knuckles and Junior Vasquez. Definitely a winning hand. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Consistently written off as ABBA wannabes and subpar pop poseurs, Ace of Base actually wrote some of the best pop songs of the '90s. Though the vocals were never up to par with even the least accomplished singers and the production was often sparse, the hooks in most of their cuts are irresistible. From their stateside breakthrough hit "All That She Wants" and their biggest single, "The Sign," and through their Top Ten "Beautiful Life" and the remake of "Cruel Summer," this compilation covers the best of their material. But with the addition of the poetic "Everytime It Rains," the pretty "Lucky in Love," the '50s throwback "Always Have, Always Will," the acoustic "Life Is a Flower," and the young-at-heart "C'est la Vie Always 21," you can see that much of what didn't hit big in the U.S. was some of the band's best work. As often happens with pop acts, once they begin to grow as artists, their fan base shrivels, which is exactly what happened with Ace of Base. With this album, though, you can see that when they matured they actually hit their stride. ~ Bryan Buss, All Music Guide