The most surprising track on this collection isn't hidden between blockbusters selections from the blockbuster Lloyd Webber songbook but is located in plain view right at the beginning of the CD. The previously unreleased "Probably on Thursday" was originally written as a pop song in 1967 and indeed sounds very much like a forgotten gem by an obscure 1960s pop singer. It's absolutely delightful and the last thing you'd expect from a composer best known for neoclassical bombast. Another surprise is another previously unreleased song, this one from Sunset Boulevard: "The Perfect Year" is a sweet ballad, and Brightman smartly doesn't oversell it. In fact, the CD decidedly emphasizes the singer's more subtle side rather than her vocal pyrotechnics---"Make Up My Heart" from Starlight Express and "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar are particularly nice. The cache of previously unreleased songs also includes guest apperances by the likes of Michael Ball ("Seeing Is Believing") and John Barrowman ("Too Much in Love to Care"), but there's never any doubt as to who the star of this CD is. And deservedly so. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
