is the first-ever compilation concentrating on 's solo career, and given that his discography is a bit unwieldy, it's not a surprise that is a bit misshapen. Over the course of 18 tracks, samples from nearly every record released between his eponymous 1988 solo debut and 2015's , adding two unreleased tracks -- the brand-new surf tune "Run James Run" and the nice, effervescent '90s collaboration "Some Sweet Day" -- for good measure. 's difficult '90s in general are glossed over -- , his 1995 collaboration with , isn't represented here, nor are any of his -produced covers from -- represented by two cuts from ("Cry," "Lay Down Burden"), which means this is anchored by the 1988 album and the flood of albums released after his touring comeback in the early 2000s. These live shows are represented by two selections from 2000's , and they sit alongside two cuts from his 2004 completion of ("Heroes and Villains," "Surf's Up," both originally cut with and the best-known things here by some margin) and a song apiece from his tributes to and , along with cuts from (2004), (2008), and (2015). All of these cuts are presented in a sequence that quickly slides from logical -- "Love and Mercy," his best and, thanks to the 2015 biopic of the same name, best-known solo song opens up the proceedings, followed by the material -- into a haphazard flow resembling a shuffle play. Instead of highlighting 's musical consistency, this sequencing shows how he could succumb to bad production ideas of the day while remaining singularly obsessed with the past. In that sense, it's a representative collection because it offers gems as it rambles through a series of left-hand turns and is ultimately endearing, not frustrating. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine