Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Seven years after the million-selling The Best of M People, the Manchester foursome returns with a second hits retrospective. Considering they haven't released a studio album since 1997's Fresco, the actual demand or need for one is rather questionable. Indeed, the main difference seems to be that lead singer Heather Small is now credited in her own right, a move suggesting a full-time re-formation is unlikely to occur any time soon. Instead, The Ultimate Collection seems designed to promote her rather disappointing solo career, with both the Oprah Winfrey-endorsed "Proud" and the rather more forgettable "Holding On" included along with 16 of the band's hits on a track listing that only differs slightly from the previous compilation. Only final single "Dreaming" and their covers of the Kinks' "Itchycoo Park" and the Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes" have been omitted, while two of their lowest-charting singles, "Excited" and "Love Rendezvous," are now included. It's hard to believe now, considering their rather MOR reputation, but their debut, Elegant Slumming, was seen as rather cutting-edge dance music at the time, and indeed won the very first Mercury Music Prize back in 1993. Its saxophone-and-piano house sound hasn't aged too badly, and "Movin' on Up" and "One Night in Heaven" are still as joyously infectious as ever -- as are Bizarre Fruit's gospel-inspired "Sight for Sore Eyes" and the uplifting if rather overplayed anthem "Search for the Hero." Small's powerhouse vocals remain the most distinctive in the business, and they're perfect for the uptempo stompers such as "Angel Street" and "Open Your Heart," but they do tend to overpower and sometimes smother the more tender moments, such as the quite lovely acoustic ballad "Just for You" and the soulful "Testify." And while the band undeniably created its own unique and instantly recognizable sound, the similar dance-pop production sometimes makes it hard to distinguish between certain songs. Overall, this second collection justifies M People's position as one of the most popular bands of the '90s. But without any new material or unreleased tracks, it will surely only appeal to the casual fan who never quite got around to buying their first.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1993 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Gaetan Schurrer, Programmer - Heather Small, Vocal - James Reynolds, Engineer - Luke Gifford, 2nd Engineer - M People, Mixing Engineer - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1994 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1993 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Beverley Skeete, Background Vocal - Heather Small, Composer - Heather Small, Lyricist - Heather Small, Vocal - Lance Ellington, Background Vocal - Mark Evans, Engineer - Mark Evans, Programmer - Peter John Vettese, Background Vocal - Peter John Vettese, Composer - Peter John Vettese, Lyricist - Peter John Vettese, Producer - Peter John Vettese, Programmer - Phil Bodger, Mixing Engineer - Richard Niles, Arranger - Richard Niles, Conductor - Tommy Blaze, Background Vocal
(P) 2000 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Background Vocal - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Mike Pickering, Saxophone - Paul Heard, Bass - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Keyboards - Paul Heard, Lyricist - Sasha, Producer - Sasha, Re-Mixer - Shovell, Percussion
(P) 1993 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Heather Small, Composer - Heather Small, Lyricist - M People, Producer - M People, Vocal - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1997 BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Ltd
D. Hitchings, Composer - D. Hitchings, Lyricist - Dennis Lambert, Composer - Dennis Lambert, Lyricist - Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - P. Golde, Composer - P. Golde, Lyricist
(P) 1993 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Marshall Jefferson, Composer - Marshall Jefferson, Lyricist
(P) 1992 BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Ltd
Chris Lord-Alge, Mixing Engineer - Heather Small, Composer - Heather Small, Lyricist - Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1998 BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Ltd
Heather Small, Composer - Heather Small, Lyricist - Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Mixing Engineer - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1994 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist
(P) 1992 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
M People, Mixing Engineer - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Michael Skins, Keyboards - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Myles Kayne, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Myles Kayne, Electric Guitar - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Mixing Engineer - Paul Heard, Producer
(P) 1992 BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Ltd
Angela Kissoon, Background Vocal - Heather Small, Composer - Heather Small, Lyricist - Heather Small, Performer - Heather Small, Vocal - Katie Kissoon, Background Vocal - Lance Ellington, Background Vocal - Mark Evans, Engineer - Mark Evans, Programmer - Peter John Vettese, Background Vocal - Peter John Vettese, Composer - Peter John Vettese, Lyricist - Peter John Vettese, Producer - Peter John Vettese, Programmer - Phil Bodger, Mixing Engineer - Reece Gilmore, Programmer - Richard Niles, Arranger - Richard Niles, Conductor - Robbie McIntosh, Guitar - Tommy Blaize, Background Vocal
(P) 2000 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT (UK) Limited
Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Arranger - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1995 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Background Vocal - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Mike Pickering, Saxophone - Paul Heard, Bass - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Keyboards - Paul Heard, Lyricist - Shovell, Percussion
(P) 1994 Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
James Reynolds, Engineer - M People, Mixing Engineer - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1995 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT (UK) Limited
Heather Small, Composer - Heather Small, Lyricist - Heather Small, Vocal - M People, Performer - M People, Producer - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1997 BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Ltd.
Chris Lord-Alge, Mixing Engineer - Heather Small, Composer - Heather Small, Lyricist - M People, Producer - M People, Vocal - Mike Pickering, Composer - Mike Pickering, Lyricist - Paul Heard, Composer - Paul Heard, Lyricist
(P) 1998 BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Ltd
Album review
Seven years after the million-selling The Best of M People, the Manchester foursome returns with a second hits retrospective. Considering they haven't released a studio album since 1997's Fresco, the actual demand or need for one is rather questionable. Indeed, the main difference seems to be that lead singer Heather Small is now credited in her own right, a move suggesting a full-time re-formation is unlikely to occur any time soon. Instead, The Ultimate Collection seems designed to promote her rather disappointing solo career, with both the Oprah Winfrey-endorsed "Proud" and the rather more forgettable "Holding On" included along with 16 of the band's hits on a track listing that only differs slightly from the previous compilation. Only final single "Dreaming" and their covers of the Kinks' "Itchycoo Park" and the Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes" have been omitted, while two of their lowest-charting singles, "Excited" and "Love Rendezvous," are now included. It's hard to believe now, considering their rather MOR reputation, but their debut, Elegant Slumming, was seen as rather cutting-edge dance music at the time, and indeed won the very first Mercury Music Prize back in 1993. Its saxophone-and-piano house sound hasn't aged too badly, and "Movin' on Up" and "One Night in Heaven" are still as joyously infectious as ever -- as are Bizarre Fruit's gospel-inspired "Sight for Sore Eyes" and the uplifting if rather overplayed anthem "Search for the Hero." Small's powerhouse vocals remain the most distinctive in the business, and they're perfect for the uptempo stompers such as "Angel Street" and "Open Your Heart," but they do tend to overpower and sometimes smother the more tender moments, such as the quite lovely acoustic ballad "Just for You" and the soulful "Testify." And while the band undeniably created its own unique and instantly recognizable sound, the similar dance-pop production sometimes makes it hard to distinguish between certain songs. Overall, this second collection justifies M People's position as one of the most popular bands of the '90s. But without any new material or unreleased tracks, it will surely only appeal to the casual fan who never quite got around to buying their first.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 18 track(s)
- Total length: 01:11:32
- Main artists: M People
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: RCA Records Label
- Genre: Pop/Rock
(P) 2005 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT (UK) Limited.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.