This best-of understandably takes the bulk of its material from Candlebox's phenomenally successful debut album, which spent over a year on the Billboard chart. The desperation of "You" still sounds effective and the Led Zeppelin-esque "Arrow" retains its frantic energy, while later songs like HAPPY PILLS' "10,000" Horses" and the ballad "Sometimes" display the Seattle band's artistic growth and its search for fresher sonic pastures.

Although it's missing one charting single -- the minor 1993 rock radio hit "Don't You" -- Rhino's 2006 The Best of Candlebox is a good overview of the grunge band's work. It has all their major hits -- "Change," "Cover Me," "Simple Lessons," "Understanding," "10,000 Horses," "It's Alright," "Happy Pills," and, of course, "Far Behind," which is the one tune of theirs that is known to the average alt-rock fan -- along with a sampling of album tracks, mainly drawn from Candlebox and Lucy, plus the relative rarity of "Glowing Soul," which was originally on the soundtrack to the Adam Sandler comedy The Waterboy. There's not much in the way of packaging -- the flimsy booklet has no notes to speak of -- but for those who want to stroll down a flannel-paved memory lane, this comp does present the band in its best light. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine