Legacy - The Greatest Hits Collection (Deluxe Edition)

Album Review

Remember when Boyz II Men came out with the Legacy compilation? That was all the way back in 2001. At some point during the two years between its release and this version, Motown deemed it classic enough to make it part of the Deluxe Edition series, which is more an excuse to slap on a second disc of remixes and soundtrack appearances. A rarities compilation is never quite as attractive as an expanded version of a greatest-hits collection. If you bought 1995's The Remix Collection and snapped up all of the soundtracks when they came out, you still don't have it all covered; for instance, the Timbaland remix of "Can't Let Her Go" appears on an officially released domestic CD for the first time. Those who just want the hits won't find all the extra padding necessary, and the longtime followers might be a little irritated by the wealth of overlapping material that they would be acquiring for a second (or third or fourth) time. Still, nothing takes away from the fact that the first disc ably represents the best work of one of the finest R&B groups of the '90s. And Motown certainly spared no expense with the packaging.