The Very Best of After 7 gathers a dozen of the group's singles and album highlights, as well as hard-to-find and previously unreleased material. The collection kicks off with a new cover of
Hall & Oates' soulful "Sara Smile" that's in keeping with the rest of
After 7's smooth, lush style. Several of the group's best songs, including "Heat of the Moment," "Gonna Love You Right," and the hit single "Can't Stop," appear in remix form; it would've been nice to include the album versions of at least a couple of these tracks on the compilation as well. "Ready or Not," "Can He Love You Like This," and "'Till You Do Me Right" are some of the other standouts on the collection, emphasizing
After 7's collaborations with
Babyface and
L.A. Reid. Though it's not as complete a retrospective as it could have been,
The Very Best of After 7 does a good job of expressing and defining the group's classic yet fresh take on urban music. ~ Heather Phares