''The Ultimate Collection'' (subtitled ''Celebrating Four Decades of Soul'') is the fourth

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

album by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n musician

Renée Geyer Renée Rebecca Geyer (11 September 195317 January 2023) was an Australian singer who was an acclaimed jazz, soul and R&B musician.* 1st edition nline * 2nd edition rint She released 15 studio albums with '' Moving Along'' (1977) and ...

. It was released in March 2010 by

Warner Music Australia Warner Music Australia (WMA) is an Australian division of the Warner Music Group. Warner Music Australia distributes in Australia, and also covers distribution in New Zealand. History In 1969, Warner Bros. Records split and WEA was formed. ...

and peaked at number 21 on the

RIANZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

charts, becoming Geyer's highest charting album in New Zealand.

Background and release

Geyer's career has spanned four decades and has achieved commercial success, appearing on the Australian charts since the 1970s to 2000s. The 17 tracks were selected by Geyer. She believes that they are fan favourites and are always requested at live shows. In 2005, Geyer was inducted into the

ARIA Hall of Fame Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has inducted artists into its annual ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone ceremo ...

. In a 2011 interview with Bendigo Weekly, Geyer said "People like it (the album) because it's the songs that I know are the most yelled out for me. I know these are the ones that people really want to hear. It's a basic sum-up of my career."

Reception

Julie Taylor from ''

The Northern Advocate ''The Northern Advocate'' is the regional daily paper for the city of Whangārei and the Northland Region in New Zealand. History ''The Whangarei Comet and Northern Advertiser'' was founded in 1875 as a weekly paper by George Alderton and, des ...

'' gave the album 3 out of 5 saying; "Her best known hit,

Eddy Grant Edmond Montague Grant (born 5 March 1948) is a Guyanese in the United Kingdom, Guyanese-British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his genre-blending sound and socially conscious lyrics; his music has blended elements of p ...

's " Say I Love You", is an essential, but somewhat out of place, inclusion in this collection of soulful classics. The more emotionally infused tracks such as " It's a Man's Man's World", " If Loving You Is Wrong" and "

Love Don't Live Here Anymore "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is a song written by Miles Gregory and originally recorded by Rose Royce. It was produced by former Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield for Whitfield Records. Lead vocals were sung by Gwen Dickey ...

" are artfully performed and wrench, rather than tug, on the heart strings. There are also lighter moments with " Shaky Ground" and a cover of "

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

's "

Thieves in the Temple "Thieves in the Temple" is a song by American musician Prince from the 1990 soundtrack album '' Graffiti Bridge''. Added at the last minute, it was the final song recorded for the album. "Thieves in the Temple" topped the US R&B chart and became ...

". Geyer has a strong voice and knows how to use it to full effect."

Track listing

Weekly charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Collection (Renée Geyer album), The 2010 greatest hits albums Renée Geyer albums Compilation albums by Australian artists