Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn have been making beautiful music one way or another since 1984. Funny enough, they are best known for Tracey’s contribution to Massive Attack’s sensational Protection, particularly her vocal work on that album’s title track. Many savvy music fans have been privy to their blend of folk, rock and electronic music for years. Their last album, Temperamental, and a Back To Mine mix CD seem to be their last non-compilation releases. like the deserts miss the rain is an official best of, a retrospective of moments from an impressive career picked by Ben and Tracey. It becomes the possible last release from this amazing band that seems to have hung its hat up to dry. Tracey has sadly retired from the music business.

Ben met Tracey in the early ‘80s when she was doing her thing in The Marine Girls. They fast became friends, started working together and created Everything But The Girl. 1982 marked their first single release with “Night and Day” and 1984 their first album Eden from which the bossa nova flavored “Each And Every One” is culled. But these were just the beginning. The band became a crossover smash with “Missing” --especially Todd Terry’s mix of what became a VH1 mainstay and, even more horrific, something your parents might have asked you about. With 1994’s Amplified Heart, the band really hit their stride when they started experimenting with electronic music.

Never letting the electronic side of things dominate the music, Everything But The Girl has always had soul. Todd Terry’s mix and the Massive Attack collaboration brought out the remixers, who sometimes took their songs to new emotional heights. No doubt one of the best remixes is Chicane’s take on “Before Today,” whose trance rhythm only adds depth to Tracey’s yearning “I-don’t-want-a-phone-that-never-rings” lyric. For what seems like its last release, it would have been nice for the band to include some proper liners. I guess they’d rather have the music speak for itself. This is a great compilation of tracks for fans and a great starting point for the novice listener.

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