Anastacia - Pieces of a Dream

GALLERY: Anastacia the pop megastar

What's the most unusual thing about Anastacia the pop icon? Certainly not her blonde hair or her hot but hardcore image, or her soul-flavoured style. That's all standard stuff nowadays. No, what distinguishes her from many of her contemporaries is that she isn't just the pretty face standing in for a songwriter who'll never see any of the glory their pen created. She actually wrote the material she performs.

If your musical taste runs somewhere in between the dramatic stylings of Celine "Aaaaaahyeeeaaahh!" Dion, the snap, crack of RnB flavoured pop like Destiny's Child, and the wonderfully babyish fluff Britney used to dish up before she stopped being a baby and started making babies, Anastacia will do it for you. Her ballsy attitude, countrified morality, and punchy production is a winner.

If you're a big fan and do already own Anastacia's albums, this collection offers a few extras that might encourage you to get a copy - her collaboration with Ben Moody on "Everything Burns", the title track, and club megamix probably aimed at the packaged holiday market. It's like a latino Jive Bunny set.

All in all, a good enough package, although some video would have made all the difference between this CD being merely nice to have, and an essential purchase.

- Jean Barker

WHAT OTHER CRITICS SAID

"Impressive from start to finish, 'Pieces of a Dream' is still further proof of Anastacia's remarkable talent."
- Lisa Haines for BBC.co.uk