I liked Anastacia's music when she first arrived onto the pop scene, though never actually bought any of her material. I thought she had a fantastic voice and released some really memorable songs. When Pieces of a Dream, her greatest hits album, was released in 2005 I snapped up the special edition version as it seemed to have a great collection of songs.

This edition is beautifully designed, like a book with photographs and song lyrics. It includes two discs. The first disc is made up of Anastacia's singles from her albums to date, as well as several new tracks (13-17). The album kicks off with the singer's fantastic debut single I'm Outta Love, an amazingly catchy dance-pop number. It is followed up by the soulful, assertive Not That Kind. Cowboys and Kisses veers into country, with an uplifting chorus.

Made For Lovin' You has a killer opening and a retro feel with an old-school chorus. Paid My Dues is a powerful, determined song that begins a group of songs with a slightly darker feel. I believe it was written after Anastacia's battle with cancer. One Day In Your Life is a modern-sounding dance-pop song, while Why'd You Lie To Me is an angry mid-tempo song directed at an ex. You'll Never Be Alone is a powerful ballad, while Left Outside Alone is another angry track with electric guitars adding a harder edge. Sick And Tired continues in this vein, with melodic interludes. Welcome To My Truth is a dramatic mid-tempo ballad while Heavy On My Heart is a ballad in the more traditional sense.

The next few songs are new to this album, and they do not disappoint. Everything Burns, featuring Ben Moody (a singer I admit never having heard of) is a ballad driven by acoustic guitars and Ben's voice appearing on the chorus. It makes an interesting change to have a male singer appearing on an Anastacia song, and it works well, with Ben's rock music-style vocals working well with Anastacia's powerful voice.

The following track is also a duet, I Belong To You with Eros Ramazotti, which is a powerful ballad featuring the piano. Pieces of a Dream, which lent its name to the album title, is another mid-tempo ballad which reaches the same high standards as the other album tracks. In Your Eyes is another ballad.

The final track of this disc is the Club Megamix, which is a fun dance-based compilation of several of Anastacia's biggest hits.

In general, Anastacia's music is powerful, affirmative and uplifting and I always enjoy listening to this album. The singer has a huge, fantastic voice that works well on slower ballads but comes to the fore on uptempo soulful pop songs.

Track Listing - Disc 1
1. I'm Outta Love
2. Not That Kind
3. Cowboys & Kisses
4. Made For Lovin' You
5. Paid My Dues
6. One Day In Your Life
7. Why'd You Lie To Me
8. You'll Never Be Alone
9. Left Outside Alone
10. Sick And Tired
11. Welcome To My Truth
12. Heavy On My Heart
13. Everything Burns (Ft. Ben Moody)
14. I Belong To You (Ft. Eros Ramazzotti)
15. Pieces Of A Dream
16. In Your Eyes
17. Club Megamix (Featuring The Songs - I'm Outta Love, Left Outside Alone, Not That Kind, One Day In Your Life, Paid My Dues And Sick And Tired)

The second disc is a remix CD containing mixes by many popular dance DJs. I won't go through these tracks individually, but there are standout remixes by names such as Thunderpuss, Roger Sanchez and Jason Nevins. You can really imagine dancing along in a club to these.

Track Listing - Disc 2
1. I'm Outta Love (Hex Hector Main Club Mix)
2. Left Outside Alone (M*A*S*H Master Mix)
3. Paid My Dues (The S-Man's Darkstar Mix)
4. Sick & Tired (Jason Nevins Funkrock Mix)
5. Why'd You Lie To Me (Nu Soul Dnb Mix)
6. Love Is A Crime (Thunderpuss Club Mix)
7. Not That Kind (Kerri Chandler Mix)
8. One Day In Your Life (Hex Hector/Macquayle Club Mix)
9. Left Outside Alone (Jason Nevins Global Club)
10. Not That Kind (Ric Wake's Mix)
11. Love Is A Crime (Cotto's Doin' The Crime Mix)
12. Boom (Thunderpuss Club Mix)
13. One Day In Your Life (Almighty Mix)
14. Sick & Tired (Jason Nevins Electrochill Remix)

This is a great album and I definitely recommend it. It is available at only £3 from Amazon, the same price as the standard greatest hits - so you may as well get this version. There isn't a bad song on the first disc, and the second is a great bonus addition. Five stars from me!