October 30, 2001
Even as Jann Arden's Greatest Hurts hits stores today, the singer-songwriter claims a greatest-hits CD might be "premature" at this point in her career, but "I also know that I need to buy myself some time going into writing my next record," she says. "I'm still on Blood Red Cherry in the States." Besides, "You have to think about people who can't go out and buy four records - or maybe they did and they got stolen out of their Lada in 1994 - this gives you an opportunity to have all those songs. From a consumer point of view, I think it's great."

Besides, it's not premature. Arden has built up a remarkable catalogue of great hurtin' songs over the years. So many of them were hits, in fact, that some had to be left out. Have to make room for those two new tracks, after all. There's even a dance remix of Sleepless. Arden is pretty mellow about it, and, for all her complaining in the past, she seems satisfied with - or at least resigned to - the machinations of the music industry. A Jann Arden dance remix?! Sure, what the hell.

Says she, "I can be foolish and say I'm a serious artiste and I'm not going to do it, but you know what? It's music. It's supposed to be fun and accessible. I don't feel like I'm selling out. I think it's funny. If putting four on the floor is what it takes for commercial radio to understand something, who am I to say no?"

There are limits. Unlike a certain star who founded a certain all-female festival we won't name here, do not expect Jann Arden to release an entire album of dance remixes. But, if she did, we could call it Greatest Hertz.