Released for the British market,
Hits and Rarities combines a good basic
Sheryl Crow hits compilation with a collection of rarities that are either not that rare or interesting. The first disc is the stronger of the two, containing almost all of her big hits, not presented chronologically but presented entertainingly and not leaning too heavily on any particular era. Here, there are a few minor rarities -- the alternate
Corrs version of "C'mon C'mon," soundtrack contributions to the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, the film Home of the Brave ("Try Not to Remember"), and her unfortunate cover of
Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" from
Adam Sandler's Big Daddy -- which actually seem rarer than the stuff on the second disc. Seven of the 12 tracks there are live, many taken from the 2003 Live at Budokan, then there are two alternate takes, the B-sides "Chances Are," "Subway Ride," and a 1996 cover of
Derek & the Dominos' "Keep on Growing." Nothing bad here, but hardly a worthy collection of
Crow's stray tracks and certainly not worth seeking out, as it's neither complete nor really compelling. But the hits disc is good and if you're in the home territory, or find this at a bargain price, it's a nice -- if not necessary -- package overall. [A single-disc edition of
Hits and Rarities was also released.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine