18 Essential Songs
A slightly flawed collection drawn from the three-CD box setJanis, this still isn't a bad introduction to Haight-Ashbury's favorite blues shrieker. SkimmingCheap Thrills,Kosmic Blues, andPearl, the disc catches some of Joplin's most stunning moments. In acknowledging the "rarities" aspect of the box, however, Essential occasionally goes wrong; the acoustic demo version of "Me and Bobby McGee" is incredibly touching, but a strange choice if there's room for only one. The must-have version remains the full-blown take heard onPearlandJanis Joplin's Greatest Hits. That there's enough interest in Janis remaining to justify a set like this one is heartening, though.--Rickey Wright