Ricki-Lee - The Singles (2008)

September 2008 saw a new single from Ricki-Lee Coulter, the dance diva extraordinaire and one of pop music's most endearing power house voices. The single, "Wiggle It," was one of Coulter's best, and it once again reflected her ability to sample a hit song and turn it into a genuine Ricki-Lee smash. When the single was launched, it was unclear, however, whether a studio album was going to follow it. Coulter's previous studio albums had lacked a certain creative touch that would escalate them from powerful to artistic, but "Wiggle It" seemed to have the magic touch to do it. Plus, Coulter's new gig as a co-host of Australian Idol (the show that made her famous in the first place) seemed like the perfect platform on which to promote a new studio album. In the end though, what was released was some form of a greatest-hits collection simply titled The Singles, however, it could hardly be called a greatest-hits album, as Coulter's career had only been a few years long. The album does have all six of Coulter's best, and most popular works, and alongside them come impeccable remixes to the songs which had dominated the club scene for quite some time. Plus, along with the album's launch comes an impressive eight-track music video DVD, a treat for Coulter's fans. However, a 15-track greatest-hits album in itself seems a little bare-bones, and the fact that half those tracks are merely remixes makes the whole package look depressingly shallow and hollow. The album, which isn't all that bad as Coulter's singles are all immaculate is such an obvious marketing mistake when shoved together in this lame packaging, that it sends Coulter's musical career to a smashing halt. This album fails to give Coulter any momentum, and had "Wiggle It" been released without any album at all, it may have had more commercial merit than this last-minute package, which is something that Coulter simply doesn't deserve. As talented as she is, she is still way too green to release a greatest-hits sampling so early into her career.

Ricki-Lee (Coulter) is an Australian singer, songwriter, television, and radio presenter who rose to fame in 2004 on the second season of Australian Idol and was placed seventh in the competition. She subsequently signed with Australian independent label Shock Records, and released her self-titled debut album Ricki-Lee (2005), which produced the top-ten hits "Hell No!" and "Sunshine".
The following year, she became a member of Australian pop girl group Young Divas, before leaving in early 2007 to resume her solo career. Her second album Brand New Day (2007) was certified gold and included the top-ten singles "Love Is All Around", "Can't Sing a Different Song" and "Can't Touch It".