Billy Ocean

This U.K. collection is comprised of material from Billy Ocean's most commercially successful albums, which he recorded for Jive Records from 1984-1988. The set doesn't concentrate primarily on the hits, though; in fact, eight of the disc's selections were never released as singles. A few big ones are included, in the form of "Loverboy," "Caribbean Queen," "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)," and "The Color of Love." But the rest are not familiar turf for the average fan. Several are hidden gems that would've made good hits, like the soothing "Promise Me" and "It's Never Too Late to Try" -- both culled from the singer's 1986 set Love Zone. Meanwhile, more formulaic, forgettable numbers like "Because of You" and "Stand and Deliver" would have been better substituted with better-known, better-quality songs like "Suddenly" and "Love Is Forever." The fact that this collection was not issued by Jive -- but rather a reissue label which obtained license to the masters -- makes these absences not so surprising. Such collections issued by licensees are usually more limited in scope due to budgeting concerns. Thus, Jive's own Greatest Hits package -- which contains nearly all of Ocean's major '80s hits -- or its more comprehensive, double-disc retrospective, L.I.F.E., are far better bets. ~ Justin M. Kantor, All Music Guide