Legacy Recordings has a new series called Playlist. The label, in cooperation with its affiliates, Columbia, RCA and Epic, focus on an artist, remaster his or her top hits and then find fan favorites to fill in the rest. With Rick Astley's CD, "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Whenever You Need Somebody," "Together Forever," "It Would Take a Strong Stong Man," "She Wants to Dance With Me," "Cry for Help" and "Giving Up on Love" are a few of the charters, and "Hold Me in Your Arms," "When I fall in Love" and "I Don't Want to Lose Her" represent the fan faves. Astley, a recording studio assistant hit the big time in the '80s with his unique tenor and synth-dance pop and those days can be relived with this CD. — S.I.

CELTIC WOMAN; "The Greatest Journey Essential Collection" (Manhattan) ** 1/2

For a little more than four years, Celtic Woman, the all-female Celtic Music revue, has been making fans throughout the world with its high-energy, theatrical performances. "The Greatest Journey" contains fan favorites and the group's favorites, some reworked especially for this release. "The Call," "Pie Jesu," "Danny Boy," "Orinoco Flow," "Ave Maria," "Beyond the Sea" all get the Celtic Woman touch. Bonus tracks include the traditional "Mo Ghile Mear" and "Spanish Lady," both recorded live at Ireland's Slane Castle. — S.I.

CONFEDERATE RAILROAD; "The Very Best of Confederate Railroad" (Warner Bro./Rhino) ***

Riding the tracks of the new wave of country music in the 1990s, Confederate Railroad emerged with its first Top 40 Billboard Country chart hit, "She Took It Like a Man," in 1992. From there, the group from Chattanooga, Tenn., rolled on with other Top 10 hits "Jesus and Mama," "Queen of Memphis" and "Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind." The Top 40 saw other hits such as "Elvis and Andy," "She Never Cried," "When and Where," "When You Leave that Way You Can Never Come Back" and the comeback ditty "What Brother's Do." These songs, as well as the crowd favorite "White Trash with Money," are all here in this career-retrospective package. — S.I.

RY COODER; "The UFO Has Landed: The Ry Cooder Anthology" (Warner Bros./Rhino) ****

Ry Cooder was among the Top 10 of Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list. During the 1970s, Cooder released guitar-based albums on Warner Bros. Records. And most of the gems are on this two-CD anthology. Cooder's slide work and his love for roots music bursts forth during "Get Rhythm," "Smells Like Money," "Cherry Ball Blues" and the story-ballad "Billy the Kid." His wry humor stabs at "Alimony" and "Going Back to Okinawa." The set ends with his laid-back, front-porch jam classic "Little Sister." — S.I.