(03 February 2007) The 2006 release of Sarah Brightman's Diva: The Singles Collection (Angel Records (USA) 0 946 3 73671 2 4, 2006) is a wonderful chronology of highlights in her career. Her varied talents are sampled in masterpieces from the West End, classical, crossover and pop music favorites. This fourteen track album is a marvelous introduction for newcomers to Sarah's gorgeous, soaring vocals. Avid fans will most likely have all of her individual albums, but this collection is still a good overview of her work. The release includes a CD and a DVD.

A DVD issued to accompany the CD entitled Diva The Video Collection (Angel Records (USA) 0946 3 10132 9, 2006) is comprised of 20 tracks in the main show and an encore track of "Music Of The Night" (Andrew Lloyd Weber's 50th birthday celebration).

The collection is an anthology that for the first time ever brings together on one DVD all of Sarah Brightman's spectacular music videos. Diva covers this musical sensation's illustrious 25-year career, from her start in the British dance group Hot Gossip, to her collaborations with composer Andrew Lloyd Weber on the sensational Phantom Of The Opera, to her innovative mixing of opera and pop music on "Time To Say Goodbye," her international smash hit duet with Andrea Bocelli.

Produced with tremendous quality, this collection also features the artist's intimate and revealling narrative about each video, making it a must have for any Brightman fan. When played in a home computer, the DVD can be used to access exclusive content at the artist's website.

The track list for Diva: The Singles Collection includes "Phantom of the Opera" with Steve Harley from Phantom of the Opera (1986), "Pie Jesu" with Paul-Miles Kingston from Andrew Lloyd Webber - Requiem (1995), "Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiró)" with Andrea Bocelli, "Just Show Me How To Love You" with José Cura, "Tu Quieres Volver" and "Who Wants To Live Forever" from Time To Say Goodbye (1997), "Music of the Night" from Surrender (1998), "A Question of Honour" from Fly (1998), "Deliver Me" and "Nella Fantasia" from Eden (1999), "Scarborough Fair" and "A Whiter Shade of Pale" from La Luna (2000) and finally "It's A Beautiful Day" and "What You Never Know" from Harem (2003). While this list seems comprehensive, there are so many other songs that Sarah has made prominent in her career that another 'Collection' album will probably be on its way.

Her superstar quality shines through on each of these famed tracks. The album begins with the musical that launched her incredible West End career and essentially made her a household name. All of these celebrated tunes showcase her powerful operatic vocals and expansive range. Sarah is consistent with her dynamic performances. Especially enjoyable are the songs performed with Steve Harley, Paul-Miles Kingston, Andrea Bocelli and José Cura where the exciting and climatic duets are spine tingling.

According to Sarah's Official Website, this new collection is the most comprehensive release of her three-decade career. This anthology charts Sarah's musical accomplishments through fourteen stellar tracks, including "Phantom of the Opera" (1986) and her worldwide smash hit duet with Andrea Bocelli "Time to Say Goodbye". Diva: The Singles Collection also features two selections from her critically-acclaimed 2003 recording, Harem, which gave rise to a world tour that was attended by 700,000 fans worldwide. This collection resumes where Sarah's previous retrospective collection (2001's Classics, which sold over a million copies) left off. It is the ideal introduction to Sarah's justly celebrated performances.

Her musical artistry is simply described as iconic. Sarah lays claim to a career that has boldly conquered the different areas of dance, pop, rock, musical theatre, core classical and world music. There is something for everyone in this album, ranging from Sarah's musical theatre powerhouse vocals, her spine-tingling arias, or her chaste, sparkling pop voice. Sarah Brightman masters the full spectrum of her wide-ranging talents in this compendium.--Audrey Elliot in New York