Sade: 'The Ultimate Collection'

Under today's hectic On Air, On Sale pop landscape, the meaning behind a greatest hits is all-too-often lost: used as a concise run-down of an act's last three long players or - even worse - an easy cash-in aimed at the fickle Christmas market. Under the same jurisdiction you could accuse Sade of a similar ploy - there's only two albums separating their last Best Of collection, though the fact that it was released 17 years ago more than warrants another - and while they're at it could see them pick up a new generation of fans along the way.

Including 17 of their 21 singles, all the obvious choices feature - including 'Smooth Operator', 'The Sweetest Taboo' and 'Hang on to Your Love', while their less recognised efforts have been traded in for fan favourites. In retrospect, it's a wonder how the affecting 'Jezebel' from 1985's Promise and the profound 'Immigrant' from 2000's Lovers Rock were never given a standalone release at the time.

The collection's three new offerings - the menacing 'Love is Found', heart-tugging 'I Would Never Have Guessed' and a cover of Thin Lizzy's 1974 hit 'Still in Love With You' nestle comfortably alongside the rest of their back catalogue - with not even a remix of 'The Moon and the Sky' featuring Jay-Z or the Neptunes' spin on 'By Your Side' able to override the smooth sophisticated tone throughout.

Every song has undergone careful remastering, meaning the slinky grooves and seductive, soulful vocals of frontwoman Sade Adu still shine despite the sea of new technologies that they've largely managed to dart since their 1984 debut. The soft and gooey 'By Your Side' particularly benefits from its rejuvenation treatment.

29 tracks later on The Ultimate Collection and it's difficult to explain why Sade remain one of the most underappreciated acts of our time. Yes, they can rack up ten years to make an album and they're renowned for their elusiveness (they're playing a single date at London's O2 Arena this month), but as this retrospective shows, it's worth putting up with - and worthy of a bit of hoo-ha when the results are so consistently spectacular. That said, with 50 million-plus album sales and 27 years in the game, who are we to question their game plan?