Back to Front

Lionel Richie's Back to Front isn't just a definitive greatest hits collection, it's a reminder of Richie's supreme strengths as an R&B singer-songwriter. From the gentle sweep of "Do It to Me" to the earnest lovelorn crooning of "Hello," Richie's ballads are timeless. Even the borderline sappy "Endless Love" shines despite cosinger Diana Ross's histrionics. Also featured is "Still" and "Say You, Say Me," and while the faster songs--the Caribbean-inspired rhythms of "All Night Long" and the '80s synthpop of "Running with the Night"--are weaker, they hardly detract from this otherwise sterling survey. --Courtney Kemp