Highlighting
Dionne Warwick
's quiet and more contemplative moments,
Love Songs
is a solid overview covering not only her later years on
Arista
, but also material from various other labels and her collaborations with
Burt Bacharach
. Many of the moments remain untarnished with the passage of time, with the original recordings of
"Walk On By,"
"Alfie,"
and
"I Say a Little Prayer"
cleaned up and sounding clearer than ever. While
"Anyone Who Had a Heart"
and other earlier performances would have been ideal for inclusion, later songs like
"That's What Friends Are For"
"Heartbreaker"
help to bring things into the later years nicely. And though the song sequencing is a bit erratic, that's something easily overlooked and can be manually corrected.
is not a collection for the die-hard fan, but casual listeners will find it immediately accessible and an enjoyable listen from start to finish. ~ Rob Theakston