Sheena Easton - The Gold Collection (1996)

The Gold Collection is a 16-track compilation of Sheena Easton's non-hits, taking songs from the majority of her albums that were either never released or failed to gain any commercial fame. Three of her Top 40 hits do manage to surface ("Morning Train," "Modern Girl," and "For Your Eyes Only"), and even though the collection is sparse on familiarity, it does contain a fair amount of attractive material. A handful of songs, including "Summer's Over," "Back in the City," "So We Say Goodbye," "Calm Before the Storm," and "Paradox" present Easton's softer side for the most part, bringing to light what a fine vocalist she is outside of her radio pop. Die-hard Easton fans will want to own The Gold Collection mainly as a convenient assortment of second-bests, but for the curious and the hit lovers, it should be regarded as a later buy. This set may also spark some interest in Easton's back catalog, especially albums such as 1985's Do You and 1987's No Sound but a Heart, where she began to sing softer, more adult-oriented love songs and ballads.