Céline Dion - The Essential Céline Dion

Céline Dion ranks as the best-selling female artist of all time, with worldwide sales of over 200 million albums. At this point, it’s hard to imagine a household without at least one recording by the Quebec-born superstar. For those who only want Dion’s hits, there’s been no shortage of compilations to choose from, including All the Way: A Decade of Song and Complete Best. Now, the singer’s record label has released the ultimate package: The Essential Céline Dion.

This latest compilation features all 17 tracks from 2008’s greatest hits collection My Love and includes an additional 10 songs. Along with obvious Céline chart toppers like “Because You Loved Me” and “My Heart Will Go On,” the new two-CD set offers such memorable numbers as “Tell Him,” the duet with her idol Barbra Streisand, and “The Prayer,” her collaboration with opera star Andrea Bocelli. Also included are Dion’s stirring versions of Dianne Warren’s “Love Can Move Mountains” and David Foster’s “To Love You More.”

Currently in residency at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas and working on two new studio albums, in French and English, Dion has never shied from tackling hit songs associated with other divas. Two of The Essential’s most explosive tracks are “River Deep, Mountain High,” a Tina Turner classic, and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” one of Aretha Franklin’s signature songs. Dion, who performed with Franklin on the inaugural VH1 Divas concert in 1998, proves she has a deeply soulful side to match her pop perfection.