Varese's 2003 compilation The Best of Ace Featuring Paul Carrack is a savvy collection, since it truly does focus on the very best work that Ace did -- namely, the band's excellent 1974 debut, Five-A-Side, in its entirety, along with three songs each from the group's subsequent albums, 1975's Time for Another and 1977's No Strings. This is quite a welcome reissue, since the last CD-era compilation was 1988's The Best of Ace on See for Miles, and Five-A-Side has not been released in either the U.S. or U.K. on CD, just as a Japanese import. So, this is material that Paul Carrack fans and pub rock fanatics have been waiting a long time to acquire, and while the notes perhaps could have been more extensive, the music speaks for itself. Since the band did have a crossover soft rock hit with "How Long," it's easy to think of Ace as just another mellow pop/rock outfit, but the group was a solid albeit easygoing pub rock outfit, blessed by the exceptional songwriting and singing of Carrack. He wrote or co-wrote all but one of the songs on Five-A-Side, and it's top-notch laid-back pub rock -- amiable, relaxed, warm, rootsy, tuneful, a little soulful, and friendly. While the production is a little slicker than most pub rockers -- think more New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz than Nervous on the Road -- that polish remains quite appealing, since the band just glides by on that easy groove. Subsequent albums were a little uneven, so cherry-picking three apiece and adding them to the group's masterpiece not only makes sense, it makes for the definitive overview of this fine but overlooked outfit.