Thievery Corporation – It Takes A Thief: The Very Best Of Thievery Corporation (2xLP)

Thievery Corporation, the downbeat duo comprised of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, had a knack for floating warm grooves and also for naming their LPs as though they were spy novels (or, more likely, movies soundtracked by Lalo Schifrin or John Barry). Their compilation comes five albums into their career, and includes the one standout track from their discography, "Lebanese Blonde," as well as 15 other discographical highlights. (The full rundown is as follows: three from 2008's Radio Retaliation, four from 2005's The Cosmic Game, five from 2002's The Richest Man in Babylon, three from 2000's The Mirror Conspiracy, and a startling zero from their landmark debut, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi.) Anyone new to the Thievery phenomenon will find an acceptable sampling of the group's fusion of trip-hop with '70s soundtracks, lounge music, and occasional world music flourishes. Even those with all the albums might be lured in by the presence of the non-album charity single "The Passing Stars," one of the last recordings of Pam Bricker (whose vocals were heard on "Lebanese Blonde") before she committed suicide in 2005. ~ John Bush