Alannah Myles - The Very Best Of Alannah Myles (1998)

With its slinky, modernized rock & roll beat, the Elvis tribute "Black Velvet" seemed to mark the beginning of a big career for Alannah Myles, but it turned out to be her one big moment. That's too bad, because as the compilation The Very Best of Alannah Myles proves, she deserved a little bit better than that. In a different time -- say, the early '80s, when Pat Benatar was one of the top rockers in the land -- she could have had a string of hits, since her voice was perfect for big, mainstream rock. If she had stronger material and if her production was a little more organic, she could have had a fighting chance in the '90s, but then again, maybe not, since her 1998 effort, Arival, was arguably her best, but it made little impact. Either way, the overall impression of The Very Best of Alannah Myles is that she was a rocker out of time, one that couldn't quite find the key to success in the '90s, but who still left behind some good recordings. True, the compilation is a little inconsistent -- that was a hallmark of her records, actually -- but all the best stuff is here ("Black Velvet," "Bad 4 You," "Lover of Mine," "Still Got this Thing," among others), making it the choice for anyone who was curious if she had more to offer than "Black Velvet."