En Vogue may not have been as visionary as
TLC, but they were still one of the best female urban groups of the '90s, which is why their
Very Best collection works so well. Album by album, they delivered terrific singles, from the swaggering "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" and "Free Your Mind" to the yearning "Don't Let Go (Love)" and "Hold On," plus such wonderful duets as "Whatta Man," where they team with
Salt-N-Pepa to deliver a songs so sexy it hurts (but, as
John Mellencamp says, it hurts so good). All these are here on this 16-track collection, along with several other singles that didn't climb as high on the charts, plus album tracks, and, well, filler, like a remix of "Hold On." This collection gets the nod over 1999's Best of En Vogue because it has a sharper selection of songs that really make a good case for their gifts. It may have benefited from fewer songs, since it would be a better listen if it was nothing but their ten best songs, but it still offers the best encapsulation of their talents imaginable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine