Hey, Jesus is back

Jesus Jones

Never Enough – The Best of Jesus Jones
EMI

Three stars (out of five)

Pop quiz: Name as many Jesus Jones songs as you can.

You get a big congratulations if you need more than one hand to count.

Sure, Jesus Jones were more popular at home in the United Kingdom, but a compilation like this reminds us that simply because a song was a single doesn't mean it was a hit.

That's not to say the band didn't have good material to work with. The title of this collection aims to remind music listeners there were other Jones songs besides "Right Here, Right Now" – the only track that the radio seems to remember.

At the end of the '80s, the band saw itself as part of the UK alternative continuum that blended rock with dance and hip-hop. Not only did the songs beg to be sung along to, but the electronic component also made the music danceable.

This disc includes tracks from all four Jones records: their first single "Info Freako," the grinding "Bring It On Down," the band's biggest selling single "Real, Real, Real," the hard edged "Idiot Stare" and yes, of course, "Right Here, Right Now."

There's even the obligatory new track "Come On Home" which is supposed to give die-hard Jones fans an incentive to buy the record. The song doesn't deviate from their older work and would probably have been a hit 10 years ago.

A second disc of remixes previously only available on their single releases is featured as an added bonus. It's completely unnecessary but enjoyable nonetheless, especially the mechanical re-interpretation of the band's song "Bring it On Down." Aphex Twin also lends his fluttering beats and an eerie ambiance to "Zeroes and Ones," a song The Prodigy also remixes.

While this greatest hits compilation is worth a listen, there isn't a lot to inspire the North American music listener to proclaim, "Hey, remember that one?" But then again, if 98 Degrees gets Best-of treatment, a Jesus Jones retrospective is more than welcome.

–Brian Wong