Romance isn't the first word associated with
Tina Turner but there's little doubt that the soul singer knows her way around a love song, so compiling an 18-song collection of the best of those romantic tunes makes sense. The 2014 compilation
Love Songs, however, bends the rules of what qualifies as a love song, finding space for her arena rock anthem "The Best," "What's Love Got to Do with It?," the adult contemporary standard "I Don't Want to Fight," and
Ike & Tina's "River Deep, Mountain High," which may be about love but is bombastic in the way none of the other 17 songs here are. That quick list of songs reveals how many of her hits are here -- also included are "Let's Stay Together," "Missing You," "Private Dancer," and "When the Heartache Is Over," her second-to-last Top 40 Adult Contemporary single; missing are tougher songs like 'Typical Male," "One of the Living," "Better Be Good to Me," and "We Don't Need Another Hero" -- and this is why
Love Songs is an imperfect but generally worthwhile comp; it has just enough big songs to warrant a purchase and, through a selection of album tracks from the '80s and '90s, it sustains its highly polished romantic mood fairly well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine