Aldo Nova

At 15 songs, Portrait/Epic/Legacy's 2006 compilation The Best of Aldo Nova is three tracks shorter than the previous Aldo Nova hits collection, 1992's Portrait of Aldo Nova, yet that doesn't necessarily mean that it's an inferior collection. Where the now out of print 1992 disc focused heavily on his excellent self-titled 1981 debut, The Best is evenhanded, containing five songs apiece from his albums for Portrait: 1981's Aldo Nova, 1983's Subject...Aldo Nova, and 1985's Twitch. Although this bypasses his 1991 album Blood on the Bricks -- which did have a minor rock radio hit in its title track -- this contains his three big hits ("Fantasy," "Foolin' Yourself," and "Monkey on Your Back"), plus representative selections from the trio of albums he released at the peak of his popularity. His best material remains the songs from his debut -- they still pack a visceral punch and are slick, stylized, synthesized '80s hard rock at its best -- but there are some well-crafted AOR tunes to be found on his two other Portrait albums, most of which are found on this well-done retrospective. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide