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Throughout her career, one thing has been a constant for Madonna: She has the voice to carry beautiful ballads. This CD is a collection of some of the most beautiful music Madonna has ever sang. While not truly a greatest hits, many of the songs were in fact hits. The goal of this album appears to be similar to that of Elton John's "Love Songs" CD, where Elton's mellow music was similarly collected. Madonna's CD could also have been titled "Love Songs", but of course that title was already taken, and the title reflects one of her hits included on this CD.

"This Used to Be My Playground" from "A League of Their Own", an outstanding song, "You'll See", perhaps Madonna's best song of all time (my opinion!), "I'll Remember" from "With Honors", "Take a Bow", and "Something to Remember" are among the highlights that exercise a voice that can be as absolutely gorgeous as the artist with the voice. I could include most of the other songs on this CD as well, but these particular songs carry feelings that lesser artists would either have difficult to convey, or be unable to convey at all. I sometimes feel so melancholy after listening to "You'll See", that I sometimes get watery eyes.

Any downsides to this CD? I admit I'm not very enthused about "Forbidden Love". It's not a bad song, but it hardly seems on par with the other songs on this CD. Okay, it's a small thing, hardly worth noticing.

There are so few singers that have a voice that is an instrument by itself. Madonna has a voice that belongs in that small group. This CD gives a sampling of the capability of that instrument. If you enjoy mellow music, and particularly if you enjoy Madonna's mellow music, this CD is a must have.


Even if you don't like Madonna...   February 12, 2000
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

You will probably know most of the song on here if you have ever turned on an FM radio station. The songs on here are classics! I like this album alot better then the Immaculate Collection for the greatest hits! Songs like, "I'll Remember" and the title track, "Something to Remember" are some of the most beautiful songs! I myself appreciated "You'll See" because I thnk if you are going to write a break up song it should be done in a classy manner...this song tells off whoever she was mad at in a way that she is not trashing anyone! The reason I bought this album was "Take a Bow'', but there are other gems here. Take for instance "Rain" and "this used to be my playground". All I can say is this is a beautiful album...and even if you don't like Madonna, you will like this album!


Truly her "Greatest" Hits   April 30, 2000
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Smoldering, seductive, plaintive, self-reflective. So many strong emotions overtake the listener as Madonna takes us through the depths of her emotions. "Something to Remember" truly is an unforgettable collection of her greatest ballads.

Opening and closing on takes of the Marvin Gaye classic "I Want You", the listener is taken on a journey of Madonna's abilities as a chameleon of musical styles and interpreter of emotions. Wrapping her vocals around big productions like "Rain" and "You'll See", she presents the same feeling of intimacy as she does the smaller scale tracks, like the jazz-tinted title track and the incredibly spare "One More Chance".

This album is even better than the deservedly successful "Immaculate Collection". Some Madonna fans would account that as blasphemy, but you need only see her growth on this album to show you how incredible an artist she really is. Taken away from the uptempo dance hits that made her a household name, she shows a maturity that cements her as a collaborator, vocalist, writer and producer to be reckoned with.


Some things to remember....how about more new material????   September 20, 2000
 6 out of 9 found this review helpful

For the average person who doesn't buy every single Madonna release out there, this collection of Madonna ballads is a treasure trove.

It includes great songs that were released but not included in her studio albums (I Want You (two versions), I'll Remember, This Used to Be My Playground, Crazy For You (also previously included in Immaculate Collection); two new songs: You'll See and One More Chance; some of her greatest ballad hits like Take A Bow, Live to Tell, and Rain. Also some other notable album tracks like Love Don't Live Here Anymore (newly remixed here, from the Like A Virign LP), Forbidden Love (from Bedtime Stories, and I really don't care for this one), Something to Remember (from I'm Breathless).

Other ballads were curiously omitted, like "Promise to Try" from Like A Prayer, "Sooner Or Later", "The Look of Love" among others.

However, for die-hard fans, this album may be a little disappointing because we have heard it all before. In her previous hit collection, "The Immaculate Collection", at least the songs were remixed so they sound different, here, the old tracks that are in this collection are really nothing new. Also it is jarring to listen to Madonna's You'll See and then switch to Crazy For You, recorded at a time when Madonna's voice was higher...giving the album a patchwork feel.

I also wished that more new songs would be included here. Sure, You'll See emerged as one of her best ballads, but One More Chance leaves a lot to be desired.

I just can't help feeling that not a lot of effort was put into this album. It came across like a quickie production made for a quick buck.