On his own and as part of
the Commodores, by 1992
Lionel Richie amassed more than enough singles for a greatest-hits collection. Unfortunately, this is one of those compilations that, good intentions aside, falls so flat there's not much point in buying it. By trying to cover his solo material, while touching base with his
Commodores fans, and adding some new cuts, no part of his career is well represented. It's easy to figure out what record companies are thinking when they release greatest-hits compilations without all the hits -- they can release another collection a few years down the road with the "missing" singles in order to get you to spend more money. For the record,
Back to Front lacks
"Oh No," "Lady You Bring Me Up," "Ballerina Girl," "You Are," "My Love," "Stuck on You," "Love Will Conquer All," "Se La," and
"Dancing on the Ceiling," all Top 40 hits. If
Motown had concentrated solely on solo
Richie, with another collection of
Commodores hits, this could have been a solid, career-topping CD. As it is, it's strong, but hearing such gems as
"Still," "Truly," "Say You, Say Me," and
"Running with the Night" makes you long to hear the cuts that aren't here. Of the three new songs,
"Do It to Me" and
"My Destiny" are classic, smooth
Richie, but
"Love, Oh Love" is so schmaltzy, you're almost embarrassed for him; kids singing about peace on earth is just too cheesy, no matter how middle-of-the-road you are. If you're a casual
Lionel Richie fan, this might suffice, but for anyone who truly enjoys pop music, this collection is not worth your money. [The Holland release includes two bonus tracks:
"Dancin' on the Ceiling" and
"Stuck on You."] ~ Bryan Buss
