Buy CD. Rip to computer. Cut out the Evita and Cats fluff immediately. Send a few more flops to the recycle bin. You have 10 songs left. 5 are great, 5 are decent.

That's my story.

Worth buying or not? Judge for yourself. 10/16 songs. Not bad but not that good.

I absolutely love Sarah Brightman's voice. She is so incredibly talented and amazing. I only gave this four stars because even though she is so amazing, there are a couple of songs she doesn't quite measure up to. Don't Cry For Me Argentina and Another Suitcase in Another Hall are songs that, believe it or not, only Madonna can sing. I'm not such a fan of Madonna, but she was practically made for Evita, and I don't think even Sarah Brightman can duplicate Madonna's performance in Evita. Also, Charlotte Church does a much better Pie Jesu, and she was only 12 when she recorded it for her first album. As amazing as Sarah Brightman is, there are just some things that can't be done again, when they've already been done so incredibly before.

Not many people have a musical written around their voice, but that's what Andrew Lloyd Webber did for ex-wife Sarah Brightman, by creating the classic "Phantom of the Opera" musical. And in "The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection," Brightman sings various songs from Webber's works -- some mesh with her voice, and some don't.

It starts off on a strong note with the gothic "The Phantom Of The Opera," a duet with Michael Crawford. Following that is the ethereal "Unexpected Song," the rich but forgettable "Chanson D'Enfance," and the enchanting "All I Ask Of You," a duet with Cliff Richards. Following a few dud songs are the warm "Love Changes Everything," the Latin-tinged "Amigos Para Siempre (Friends For Life)" with Jose Carreras, and the entertaining duet with John Gielgud, "Gus the Theatre Cat."

Brightman starts to falter with "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," "Another Suitcase in Another Hall," and "Memory." Her voice sounds restricted and uneasy, and at times her crystalline vocals sound shrill. "Maclivity: The Mystery Cat" is perhaps the lowest point of "Collection," with Brightman sounding completely weird. But the album rises again with the gently melancholy "Tell Me on a Sunday," soaring "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," and finishing up with the majestic "Music of the Night."

Certain voices are best suited for certain songs, and Brightman's vocals are clearly suited for songs from "Phantom of the Opera" and "Aspects of Love." Some of the songs sound astounding and heartfelt, but some of them just sound strange coming in her rich soprano.

Brightman's voice is given a good range -- she can sing in a little high girlish voice, soar like an operatic diva, or just sound sweet. At her best, Brightman can give you goosebumps. In many of the songs, she emotes subtlely, as if she really feels the heartbreak, joy and fear behind the songs. But when her voice is poorly used, as in the "Evita" songs, she just sounds confused.

The selection itself can't be faulted -- there's stuff from "Cats," "Phantom," "Evita," and other Webber musicals. And Webber's writing is just beautiful, simple and heartfelt: "In all your fantasies/You always knew/That man and mystery/ Were both in you..."

Sarah Brightman is not in top form in the "Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection," but in several songs she is simply astounding. Flawed but definitely worth checking out.

This is a very good compilation of ALW songs. Sarah Brightman is a very good vocalist. Her voice can be shrill sometimes, but the good dominates the bad. The songs are very good choice for a CD. What ALW album would be complete without songs from "Phantom"? Some of the songs are featured on every tribute and compilation album, but there are some hard to find ones. ALW is a very good composer of Popular songs, but they dont seem to work well in his shows. This is the ultimate way to experience him at his best.