With a deeper and broader track listing than most
ABC
compilations,
Look of Love: The Very Best of ABC
more or less lives up to its name. Concentrating on the band's glory days, the album covers the highlights of
's first five albums, including de rigeur hits like the title track,
"Poison Arrow,"
"When Smokey Sings,"
"Be Near Me,"
and
"How to Be a Millionaire,"
as well as album tracks like
"S.O.S.,"
"All of My Heart,"
"The Night You Murdered Love."
While some of the later inclusions, such as
"The Real Thing,"
don't quite pack the punch of
's prime work, the 2001 track
"Peace and Tranquility"
fits in with the earlier material surprisingly well. Likewise, the somewhat random track listing might be somewhat annoying to anyone trying to track
's chronological development, but it does spotlight how consistent their brand of suave
synth pop
is. With a new song, a more diverse track listing, and no unnecessary remixes,
Look of Love
has a slight edge over
Absolutely ABC: The Best of ABC
as the group's definitive retrospective. ~ Heather Phares