Burt Bacharach - 20th Century Masters: The Best Of Burt Bacharach (1999)

It took the martini-fueled lounge music scene of the '90s and some campy placements in a couple of hit movies--Austin Powers and My Best Friend's Wedding--to re-establish Burt Bacharach's genius in the public's mind. Once that was done, his work could be heard with new ears: It was no longer merely elevator music, but rather pop composition at its finest, marked by peerless melodies and arrangements that were complex in subtle ways. To get the full effect of the hits he wrote for artists such as Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, the Fifth Dimension, and many, many others, you should hear them in versions that also feature Hal David's brilliant lyrics (the multidisc set The Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection is worth every penny). But this brief overview containing instrumental takes (augmented occasionally by a female chorus and, once, Burt's own warbling vocals) of songs such as "The Look of Love," "Alfie," and "What the World Needs Now Is Love" offers some intrigue, too. If you still feel like having a martini, here's the appropriate soundtrack. -- Daniel Durchholz