All Hits

In light of the un-harmonious five years Melanie, Shaznay, Nicole and Natalie spent together as All Saints, perhaps this anthology should have been titled "All Fights" instead of the more agreeable All Hits. Despite having two massive hit singles in 2000 (with "Pure Shores" and "Black Coffee"), and the release of their second album (Saints and Sinners), the girls' rows were viewed more newsworthy than their continued chart success. From early tunes such as "I Know Where It's At", right through to their appropriately titled final release "All Hooked Up" the quartet produced some of the catchiest hooks in pop. For both their studio albums, they recruited the hippest producers of the time, including Nellee Hooper, Cameron McVey and William Orbit. These "top bods" merged the girls' soulful vocals with the trendiest beats, producing classics such as "War of Nerves" and "Bootie Call". The best of these albums and more are included on All Hits. Also included is Mel's solo collaboration with Artful Dodger ("Twentyfourseven") and two powerful new tracks penned and performed by Shaznay, which are sneakily hidden at the end of a bonus remix of "Pure Shores". "I Feel You" is an epic five minuter, sounding similar to Saints's classic "Never Ever" but with the other three's harmonies being replaced by a gospel choir. The second Shaz track "Dreams" is an Orbit style pop-trip composition that strangely (or perhaps predictably) echoes "Pure Shores". The group may have split but their sound lives on--in more ways than one. --John Galilee