Sandy Denny - Best Of

review: It was Denny (who died in 1978) who helped define that seminal band's vocal style, both on her own signature song, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes," and other originals as well as on their riveting electric updates of traditional ballads. This compilation focuses more on contemporary material (including predictably superb covers of Richard Thompson songs, both inside and outside the Fairport context), and Denny's luminous singing gives a timeless coherence to each performance. One listen to the hushed, rhapsodic sweep of songs like "Listen, Listen" and "It'll Take a Long Time" make it clear where Natalie Merchant found her muse.