Greatest Hits (Tracy Chapman album)

''Greatest Hits'' is a greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released on November 20, 2015, by Elektra and Rhino.

It is the second compilation of her career, following ''Collection'' from 2001, and the first available in the United States. All tracks were chosen by Chapman herself. The collection received positive reviews.

Reception

James Christopher Monger of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "a nice mix of hits and deep cuts". He also singled out Chapman's "emotionally pitch-perfect, spotlight-stealing rendition" of " Stand by Me": "Performed live on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' in the waning days of the program's final season. With just her voice and an electric guitar, she managed to simultaneously bring the house down and build it back up again, which is no small feat, even for an artist who has proven herself time and again to be a powerful yet always benevolent force of nature."

In ''American Songwriter'', Hal Horowitz awarded the same score, praising her songwriting and performance but noting, "If there is a downside to Chapman’s music, it’s production that is so consistently clean, if not quite slick, most of the edges are sanded off. It makes this collection flow smoothly, perhaps too much so since a rawer approach would help some of the material connect with more immediacy. Still, for those unfamiliar with her career, this is a top notch, well-chosen summation of Chapman’s classy, emotionally moving catalog." In PopMatters, Chris Gerard's review was seven out of 10 stars, using the opportunity to cover the artist's career and summing up, "This collection is an excellent starting point to discovering that she’s put out a ton of great work."

Track listing

All songs written by Tracy Chapman, except where noted.

#" Telling Stories" (from '' Telling Stories'', 2000) – 3:57
#" Baby Can I Hold You" (from ''Tracy Chapman'', 1988) – 3:12
#"Change" (from ''Where You Live'', 2005) – 5:05
#" The Promise" (from '' New Beginning'', 1995) – 5:25
#" Open Arms" (from '' Matters of the Heart'', 1992) – 4:34
#" Subcity" (from ''Crossroads'', 1989) – 5:10
#"Fast Car" (from ''Tracy Chapman'', 1988) – 4:57
#" Bang Bang Bang (Song for Little Man)" (from ''Matters of the Heart'', 1992) – 4:22
#"Crossroads" (from ''Crossroads'', 1989) – 4:12
#" Speak the Word" (from ''Telling Stories'', 2000) – 4:11
#" Smoke and Ashes" (from ''New Beginning'', 1995) – 6:39
#" Sing for You" (Single Edit, original version from ''Our Bright Future'', 2008) – 3:43
#" You're the One" (from '' Let It Rain'', 2002) – 3:05
#" Save Us All" (from ''Our Bright Future'', 2008) – 3:45
#" All That You Have Is Your Soul" (from ''Crossroads'', 1989) – 5:14
#"Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" (from ''Tracy Chapman'', 1988) – 2:39
#"Give Me One Reason" (from ''New Beginning'', 1995) – 4:29
#" Stand by Me" (previously unreleased, recorded live at the ''Late Show with David Letterman'', April 16, 2015) (Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller) – 2:49

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

External links

Electronic press kit for ''Greatest Hits''Press release announcing the album
{{Tracy Chapman

2015 greatest hits albums
Albums produced by David Kershenbaum
Albums produced by Don Gehman
Albums produced by Jimmy Iovine
Albums produced by John Parish
Albums produced by Larry Klein
Albums produced by Tchad Blake
Elektra Records compilation albums
Rhino Records compilation albums
Tracy Chapman compilation albums