Cher: The Very Best of

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Another year, another Cher collection — but if you missed the previous ones here's the essential catch-all which has a loosely reverse chronology. It starts with her late 90s dancefloor gem Believe, the second disc has the Sonny and Cher hits I Got You Babe and The Beat Goes On and includes duets with Meatloaf and Peter Cetera.

Along the way we get Cher as Donna Summer (Strong Enough), as pop vehicle for hit-machines Diane Warren and Desmond Child (If I Could Turn Back Time, Love and Understanding, Just Like Jesse James, Save Up All Your Tears), as a Phil Spector girl group (The Shoop Shoop Song), as marginalised minority (Half Breed, Gypsies Tramps and Thieves), as superstar galpal (Love Can Build a Bridge with Neneh Cherry and Chrissie Hynde), as 60s folk rocker (Dylan's All I Really Wanna Do) and even a little dramatic romantic Hispanic (Piu Che Puoi with Eros Ramazzotti). To paraphrase Keith on Mick Jagger: Cher's a lovely bunch of women. And had a new face for each one.
Label: Warners