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Editorial Reviews

The Burt Bacharach revival was one of the most pleasing things about pop music in the late '90s, but it did produce an abundance of reissues, many of which seemed superfluous. So, it may be easy to dismiss Hip-O's Love Songs of Burt Bacharach as an unnecessary compilation, especially since it arrived in the summer of 1999, when the revival was starting to fade. That would be unfortunate because it's one of the best Bacharach compilations of the CD age. True, it's nowhere near comprehensive (particularly in comparison to Rhino's exhaustive three-disc box, The Look of Love), but it's a concise sampling of classic recordings of Bacharach's best songs. A few songs aren't here in their best-known or best versions -- "Anyone Who Had a Heart" is by Luther Vandross instead of Dionne Warwick; Perry Como's "Magic Moments" doesn't quite fit the tone of the disc, for instance, nor does Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald's otherwise fine duet "On My Own" -- but the compilers should be given credit for choosing Naked Eyes' excellent revamping of "Always Something There to Remind Me" and Isaac Hayes' reinvention of "Walk on By." The rest of the disc is devoted to classic renditions of classic songs, from Aretha Franklin's "I Say a Little Prayer" to Bacharach and Elvis Costello's contemporary classic, "This House Is Empty Now" (which, in this context, sounds more timeless than ever). Sure, there might be a couple of noteworthy songs missing, but it's nevertheless a representative sampler that's not only ideal for casual listeners on a budget, it will still be entertaining for serious fans. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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