There's nothing quite as exciting as opening mail and finding a new double-CD David Broza album. The new collection covers 26 years of Broza's music-making, and features songs from his albums-- Time of Trains, Stone Doors, Away From Home, Big Secrets, and Stolen Kiss, among others. Like his song "The Big Prince", Broza is the prince of folk-rock. He has found success both here and abroad.

This composer/guitarist/troubadour sings in English, Hebrew and Spanish. He's been called a post-modern Leonard Cohen, the Stevie Ray Vaughn of folk rock, and the Bruce Springsteen of Israel. He became a superstar in Israel in his early 20s, with the quadruple platinum album, The Woman By My Side (1983), and his unique blend of urban folk rock has (so far) resulted in a further 19 gold, platinum and multi-platinum releases.

According to his Web site, one in three families in Israel owns a Broza CD. The collaboration with NMC, then, is fitting, as NMC is the company with whom he started his career. Among the 32 hits in this collection are "Yihye Tov (Things Will Get Better)", "Mitahat LaShamayim (Under the Sky)", "Neshika G'nuva (Stolen Kiss", and "Senorita". Broza has a talent for breathing musical life into sensual bits and pieces of poetry and, whether on disc or live, makes each performance a captivating one. The album also includes three songs never before released on a Broza disc: "Al Tishali Im Ani Ohev" (Don?t Ask Me if I Love), "Your Childhood in Menton", and a special version of "Yihye Tov" with the London Philharmonic. Like his diverse music, Broza's musical inspirations are varied: Joni Mitchell to Otis Redding to Paco Ibanez to Shalom Hanoch to Jackson Brown.

As with all collections, the CD booklet includes lyrics to all the songs, and the stories behind them. Yehonatan Gefen, Broza's song partner from his first days as a musician in the 1970s through today, opens the booklet with a prologue on his collaboration with Broza. Every song is packed with emotion and passion, making each one an unforgettable hit. This is an album expected to fly off record-store shelves. And, of course, it's worth the hype.