Definitive Christopher Cross, The

Christopher Cross had a long career, but he peaked early. His eponymous first album produced four Top 20 hits, highlighted by "Sailing," and won five Grammys -- a record at the time. His streak continued with "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," a collaboration with Burt Bacharach, Peter Allen, and Carole Bayer Sager that served as the theme for Dudley Moore's smash Arthur. Cross delivered a second album, Another Page, that sounded similar to the first and sold respectably well until it generated a genuine hit with "Think of Laura," thanks to General Hospital adopting it as a love theme for their Luke and Laura plot line. After that, Cross slipped away, although he released another five albums between that record and 2002's compilation, The Very Best of Christopher Cross. The problem with this compilation is that it doesn't take into consideration that early peak -- it treats each album with equal respect, with as many songs taken from 1998's Walking in Avalon and Red Room as from 1983's Another Page. While this may satisfy the artist and the die-hards who have listened with dedication over the years, those who loved the warm soft rock of the albums -- either as a guilty pleasure or without shame -- will find this collection profoundly disappointing, since after the eighth track, the collection takes a sharp turn toward fussy, sterile adult contemporary production, and it's never as pleasing to the ear as those first eight songs. This is a problem, because the collection succeeds in one respect (providing a comprehensive history) while failing in another (being an enjoyable listen). Though some will undoubtedly like this approach to Cross' career, most will wish that the compilers took Cross' early peak into account, since this collection would have been much more enjoyable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|