Rod Stewart - Greatest Hits
It's been said that no one sold out his talent like Rod Stewart, who began his career singing Sam Cooke numbers in a way that would have impressed Sam Cooke's mother. But Stewart has always been a pop animal no matter how soulful his chops and he's often at his best when primping in front of the microphone trying to make himself sound pretty. "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" may seem ridiculous, but it's five-plus minutes of melodramatic tension, caught between self-love and self-parody. "I Was Only Joking" is Rod's warning to the world that "Hot Legs" and its ilk will soon be his modus operandi. "I Don't Want to Talk About It" and "You're in My Heart" are as sincere as he gets. --Rob O'Connor