Sophie B. Hawkins

Sophie B. Hawkins' second album was a commercial disaster when it was released late in the summer of 1994. A year later, she had a Top Ten single with "As I Lay Me Down." That slow climb to the top is a fairly good indication of both the pleasures and flaws of Whaler. More subdued than Tongues and Tails, the songs on Whaler have subtler melodies and arrangements which take a while to sink in. Although the album isn't quite as energetic as Tongues and Tails, Whaler is a more consistent record, with a number of engaging songs.

Released in the summer of 2003, The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins is the first retrospective on the adult alternative singer/songwriter, and it's not without its quirks -which might be appropriate for this particular singer/songwriter. The biggest quirk is that even though it contains all of her hits – "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover," "Right Beside You," "As I Lay Me Down," "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)" it completely overlooks her third album, Timbre, which is a bit odd, especially since it contains two new songs in "California Here I Come" and a cover of the Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," not to mention the Butcher Brothers' remix of "As I Lay Me Down."