When a Man Loves a Woman - ATLANTIC
Artist: Percy Sledge

A country-soul masterpiece. The title track remains among the most beloved, anthemic explanations of love's impact and travails ever written or performed. Had Sledge never made another song, he would still deserve kudos just for that one. But he continued to score with more simple, heartfelt, unsophisticated stories about disappointment, pain,... Read More

The Atlantic Sessions: The Best of Margie Joseph
Artist: Margie Joseph

All eleven of her R&B chart singles from 1972 through 1984, as well as three album tracks from her early Atlantic days. Decent if unremarkable '70s soul with a sweet pop flavor. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide Read More

Lean on Me: The Best of Bill Withers
Artist: Bill Withers
Community Score: 5.83

Eighteen tracks, from the early '70s to the mid-'80s, including his early Top Ten singles, but also minor hits like "Grandma's Hands," "Kissing My Love," and "Lovely Day." Those who admire songs like "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine" are advised to approach this best-of with caution; from the mid-'70s onward, Bill Withers forsook his folky... Read More

The Very Best of Aretha Franklin, Vol. 2
Artist: Aretha Franklin
Community Score: 9.00

Covering 1970-76, this isn't quite as top-notch as The Very Best of, Vol. 1. And, like Very Best of, Vol. 1, much of this is also found on the more comprehensive 30 Greatest Hits (although some of it is not). Still, it contains the prime stuff from the first half of the '70s, including "Spanish Harlem," "Don't Play That Song," "Bridge Over... Read More

The Very Best of Aretha Franklin, Vol. 1
Artist: Aretha Franklin
Community Score: 10.00

30 Greatest Hits is still the preferred essential document for the Atlantic years, but this is certainly an excellent 16-track primer of her most popular late-'60s tracks. Most of them are also on 30 Greatest Hits. But if you've got a particular yen for Aretha's early Atlantic period (which was also her very best), you'll find all the biggest... Read More

Capitol Gold: The Best of Minnie Riperton
Artist: Minnie Riperton
Community Score: 10.00

Until 1999's Free Soul (Capitol) and 2001's exhaustive but more excellent overall Petals (The Right Stuff) came along, Capitol Gold offered the best summation of this true original's horribly undervalued solo career. As with Free Soul, Capitol Gold leaves a significant gap by excluding the best moments from Minnie Riperton's debut (Come to My... Read More

The Very Best of the Spinners - RHINO
Artist: The Spinners
Community Score: 10.00

The Spinners were rivaled only by the O'Jays as the greatest Philly soul group, and for that matter the greatest vocal group of the '70s. For listeners who don't want to dig as deeply as the excellent double-CD anthology One of a Kind Love Affair, Rhino's The Very Best of the Spinners is a stellar single-disc career summary that offers a... Read More

The Shoop Shoop Song
Artist: Betty Everett

Though sometimes classified as a girl group singer because of the Top Ten success of "The Shoop Shoop Song," Betty Everett's main thrust was much more in the R&B/soul vein. This excellent 25-track anthology of her 1963-1965 material shows her facility with various soul, R&B, and pop styles. She had three other minor hits -- the original hit... Read More

Dreams of Contentment
Artist: The Dells

The Dells never made it over the hump while at Vee-Jay, despite making many impressive singles. They were a top-flight doo wop group, but they couldn't find a way to advance beyond the R&B margins. Only when they moved to Chess, changed their style, and made Marvin Junior the lead singer did they enjoy the success they deserved. Still, as this... Read More

Lonely Just Like Me
Artist: Arthur Alexander

As a songwriter, Arthur Alexander's work often dealt with people for whom happiness was dashed by unexpected tragedy, and his own life seemed to reflect this. Poor management and simple bad luck put paid to Alexander's brief moment of fame in the 1960's, and despite occasional flurries of activity, and bursts of chart activity, by 1990 Alexander... Read More

Rain Drops - VEE JAY
Artist: Dee Clark

Dee Clark was one of the most adaptable R&B vocalists of the '50s and early '60s, as this 25-song reissue shows. He did songs in a Little Richard mode, an Afro-Latin setting, and also performed ballads, novelty tunes ("Kangaroo Hop"), and covers ("Cupid"). Clark's gem was "Raindrops," a song with enough drama, hooks, and appeal to nearly top... Read More