I fell in love with Shawn Colvin the first time I heard the "Steady On" Cd. Coming from the same Greenwich Village folk scene that fostered friend Suzanne Vega's success (she contributes background vocals on "Diamonds In The Rough" here), Colvin also favors the same tough/tender style that highlights Vega's best work. From early on, Colvin maintained an independent woman's voice, especially on songs like "Steady On" and "Another Round Of Blues." She seemed headed towards the same kind of success Tracy Chapman, 10,000 Maniacs and Vega were enjoying, but she had a commercial and critical misfire with the covers album, the ill advised "Cover Girl."

Although that album was just the wrong choice at the wrong time, it did highlight Colvin's ability as an interpretive singer. On "Polaroid," The Police's "Every Little Thing (S)he Does Is Magic" and Talking Heads' "This Must Be The Place" are claimed as her own. (Also worth hearing, Colvin's sublime cover of Warren Zevon's "Tenderness On The Block" off "Fat City.") It may have been a sidestep, but "Cover Girl" was just a stepping stone to "A Few Small Repairs." The feistier sound and more aggressive stance gave Colvin the only real "hit" on this collection and a song of the year Grammy for "Sunny Came Home." But you also got the confrontational "Get Out Of This House" to back it up.

The long awaited success was short lived, as Colvin decided to take time out and become a parent. She then delivered "A Whole New You," which was a pleasant enough record but nothing revelatory. The title track, which harkens back to the earlier albums, is included here. And to once again highlight Colvin's strength as a songstress, her cover of The Beatles' "I'll Be Back" underlines that song's melancholy in a rock solid manner.

It is hard to recommend this to anyone but the curious, since there is only one new selection (The Beatles' cover) and almost all the individual albums are noteworthy in their own write. But if you only know of Shawn Colvin from that one "Sunny" song, then take a "Polaroid" home. Also worth getting, the DVD companion collection to this CD.