Besting 1991's GREATEST HITS with a longer track list and the inclusion of two new recordings, the Eurythmics' ULTIMATE COLLECTION is a definitive exhibition of the band's best songs. The Eurythmics were always a singles band, and a set such as this--with indelible hypnotic/robotic grooves like "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) alongside the synth-pop melancholia of "Here Comes the Rain Again" and raucous neo-soul like "Would I Lie to You?"--helps one appreciate how much great work the duo produced.

By the late '80s and into the '90s, the Eurythmics sound favored sweeping balladry and smooth, loungy productions (the closer of the set, "Was It Just Another Love Affair?," is a case in point). There is a fair sampling of that material, but ULTIMATE sticks primarily to the band's mid-'80s peak, showcasing their finest songs, the superb producing and arranging of Dave Stewart, and the exceptional vocals of Annie Lennox.

Preceding the elaborate 2005 reissues of Eurythmics' eight proper albums by a month, The Ultimate Collection narrowly trumps 1991's Greatest Hits since it features remastered sound and a more extensive track list. While it does not contain "Don't Ask Me Again," opting to instead select a couple merely decent highlights from 1999's Peace, two new (unplanned) recordings add value for any kind of fan. Bookending the disc, "I've Got a Life" is powerful disco-pop with Annie Lennox strongly present over a bursting multi-tiered arrangement, while the relatively low-key "Was It Just Another Affair" has more in common with late-period Everything But the Girl. Both songs pleasingly sound the way Eurythmics should sound in 2005. The rest of the disc leans toward the duo's peak of popularity, 1985's Be Yourself Tonight and the following year's Revenge, while the remainder of the albums -- with the exception of the unrepresented In the Garden, the debut -- chime in with two or three songs each. A truly ultimate collection would contain two discs and dig deeper into some of the best album cuts, rather than rely on charting singles, but this disc will sufficiently satisfy the casual fans who just want the songs they know and love. ~ Andy Kellman