Includes liner notes by Dan Cadan.

Personnel: Madonna (vocals).

Liner Note Author: Dan Cadan.

Photographers: Herb Ritts; Peter Lindbergh; Patrick Demarchelier; Gilles Bensimon; Mark Romanek; Rankin; Regan Cameron; Steven Meisel; David LaChapelle; Frank Micelotta; Mario Testino; Melody McDaniels; Jean Baptiste Mondino; Rosie O'Donnell.

Why isn't this as good as it should be? Why does it seem to have songs missing when it really doesn't? Why is it slightly disappointing? You could blame it on the non-chronological sequencing, which tends to rob this collection of Madonna's '90s hits of any momentum it might have had, or you could blame it on the presence of radio edits (which is actually sort of a good thing, since these are indeed the versions that were on the air), or the very presence of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," which simply does not feel comfortable next to the rest of the savvy, modern music here. But the real problem is that during the '90s, Madonna was a true album artist, even as she was making singles as tremendous as "Take a Bow," "Deeper and Deeper," "Ray of Light," "Don't Tell Me," and the non-LP "Beautiful Stranger." Which means that these songs don't really hold together when taken together, since they were designed to be part of a bigger context -- either their parent album or the airwaves of the time. Taken on their own, most of these are still pretty tremendous, but tossed together on GHV2, the end result is less than the sum of its parts, even if this is a good way to get all of Madge's '90s hits at once. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The 90's proved to be an interesting time for MTV's First Lady as she dabbled with different music styles while pursuing movies, music and motherhood (not necessarily in that order). Like its perfect predecessor THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION, GHV2 features edited and remixed versions of her hits. Run in loosely chronological order, this collection kicks off during Madonna's overtly naughty face (the hypnotic "Erotica" and club anthem "Deeper And Deeper") to specific film fare (a sweeping "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and the delightfully psychedelic "Beautiful Stranger").

Madonna's most impressive moments came as a result of brilliant collaborations with electronica artists William Orbit and Frenchman Mirwais. Orbit's touch on songs from the critically acclaimed RAY OF LIGHT can be heard on the chilly sparseness of "Frozen," infectious nature of the pulsing title track and ambient brilliance of "The Power Of Good-Bye". The Gallic producer/performer helped Madonna greet the millennium with MUSIC and a string of hits including stop-and-stutter thump of "Don't Tell Me" and the serpentine electro-funk that is the title track. Constantly changing her image the way most people change clothes, Madonna's equally quirky stylistic unpredictability maintains her hold on being pop's greatest musical chameleon.