The Very Best of Dionne Warwick [Rhino]

Performer: Dionne Warwick
Artist: The Spinners
Producer: Patrick Milligan (Compilation)
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Recorded between 1962 & 1974. Includes liner notes by Alec Cumming. Digitally remastered by Bill Inglot. At less than ten bucks, these 16 prime-time tracks from stately, elegant Dionne Warwick -- who unfortunately spent more time with the Psychic Friends Network than she did in the recording studio recently -- are a bargain. A virtual Hal David/Burt Bacharach songbook, only two tracks were not written by the hall of fame composers: "Then Came You," composed by Thom Bell/Sherman Marshall, and the Previns' "Theme From Valley of the Dolls." Every tune you expect to be on a Dionne Warwick best-of set is here, from the all-time favorite "Don't Make Me Over" to "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," which could be done without. Not a complete overview by any means but a good tight compilation of her major chart slayers. ~ Andrew Hamilton This is the fourth compilation of Dionne Warwick's work done by Rhino Records, and the company's third collection of her major hits -- but it's not redundant in the least, as a 2000-vintage release, more than a decade more advanced in mastering quality than the label's first two best-ofs on Warwick. In fact, as a collection of 16 of the singer's classic singles from 1962-1974, the heyday of her collaboration with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David, all in state-of-the-art sound, it's downright essential listening for fans of the singer or the songwriters -- the exquisitely lush arrangements never sounded richer, and Warwick's voice here is close and intimate (as well as powerful) in ways that the records only ever hinted at. "Walk on By," "Alfie," "I Say a Little Prayer," and "This Girl's in Love With You" are some of the hits that define Warwick's soulful, orchestral sound from that era; but even the first track here, "Don't Make Me Over," from the outset of their work together in 1962 -- before the collaboration was established -- has a moment of magnificent, throat-catching dramatic soulfulness, on the lyric "Accept me for what I am/Accept me for the things I do," that seems to open the door for everything that follows. Beyond those early hits, and such obvious highlights as "(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," "I Say a Little Prayer," and "Then Came You" (which also features the Spinners), the makers have included such more modestly performing (but equally worthwhile) treasures as "Reach out for Me" and "Are You There (With Another Girl)." The notes by Alec Cumming are first-rate and a match for the overall production quality, which is superb. ~ Bruce Eder & Heather Phares

With her beautifully clear and unmannered, yet soulful, voice, Dionne Warwick became the perfect instrument for the compositions of 1960s pop kings Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The partnership resulted in an incredible string of classic hits, and Warwick's chart success continued well into the '80s, even with other writers and producers providing the material. Few could have predicted her subsequent emergence as a TV personality via the Psychic Friends Network, but regardless of her extracurricular activities, she continued lending her vocal talents to recordings and performances.

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