NEW YORK (UPDATED) - Without any fanfare – and at retail stores at least, totally overwhelmed by the hype surrounding the release of Madonna's new album – "The Ballad Hits" was finally released in the United States today.

  This release marks the return of Roxette to the EMI family of labels in the US, after a many years of separation. During that period, Roxette released "The Greatest Hits" on the Edel America label, just before that company went out-of-business two years ago.
  According to The Daily Roxette's correspondents, only a handful of copies of "The Ballad Hits" could be found at Virgin Megastore in New York City's Times Square (where Roxette performed just a few years ago), and not with the new releases in the front of the store, but in the bin with previous Roxette albums. In the Miami area, the CD is nowhere to be found. Many stores there have not even heard about the release.

  Capitol does not intend to release "A Thing About You" as a radio single to promote the album. A sticker on the CD package reads "15 of the International duo's biggest love songs including the #1 smash It Must Have Been Love."

  Thomas Evensson and Jackie_Radiorox contributed to this article.