Record: The Best of Zero 7Atlantic ***

A retrospective collection like this allows an act to dust off their back catalogue and show when and where they may have taken a wrong turn. In the case of Zero 7's Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker, it's obvious When It Fallsrepresented a creative cul-de-sac as the band went bald-headed for the Dido and David Gray five-albums-a-year audience. It was a surprise move after the stately grandeur of debut Simple Things,an old-fashioned parade of superior torch songs and chilled ambience, but number three, The Garden,saw the band reintroduce themselves to the pace and elegance that once produced peerless sonic skyscrapers. What's also apparent is that the band are dab hands at finding guest vocalists, with Sia Furler and Eska Mtungwazi in particular throwing magnificent colour onto their occasionally moody blues. We await the next chapters with renewed interest.

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Download tracks: I Have Seen, Everything Up (Zizou)