Best Of Lita Ford: Kiss Me Deadly CD

Although they didn't enjoy commercial success with the influential all-girl group the Runaways, both Joan Jett and Lita Ford conquered the charts on their own at various points of the '80s. While Jett's solo material initially reflected her admiration of punk rock before honing in on mainstream hard rock, Ford was initially a metalhead, before she too had a mainstream rock makeover, as evidenced by the Kiss Me Deadly best-of. The problem with this set is that, at only ten tracks in length, it only focuses on Ford's latter material (nothing from 1983's Out for Blood or 1984's Dancin' On the Edge is included, which many longtime fans consider her best albums), and it even manages to screw that up, as her biggest hit single, the Ozzy Osbourne duet "Close My Eyes Forever," is mysteriously absent. And while several expected favorites from Ford's most renowned albums (circa 1988-1991) are included -- the Loverboy-ish "Kiss Me Deadly," the ballad "Lisa," a cover of Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed," etc. -- what's the point if her biggest hit from the era is missing? There are other better-assembled Ford collections out there (1992's Best of Lita Ford, etc.). ~ Greg Prato