Motown Soul Sweetness Volume 2!

Motown, Soul and Sweetness Volume 2!

by Kristin Battestella

I dare say everyone and anybody can name at least one song by the stars in this quartet. So go ahead and sing a long or stuff everyone's stocking with more of these timeless classics and divine essentials.

The Best of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles: 20th Century Masters Millennium Collection – Other than the somewhat tacked on “Just to See” and later day “Love Machine featuring Billie Griffith” included over the absent “Going to a Go-Go,” there's not much to dislike about this greatest hits compilation featuring “Tears of a Clown,” “Cruisin,” and every Motown hit in between. Distinctions between single versions, album editions, mono or single tracks, and various billings as The Miracles, Smokey Robinson, and Smokey Robinson and The Miracles may irk expert completists. However, the ever smooth “Ooo Baby Baby,” irresistible “Tracks of My Tears,” and my favorite “You Really Got a Hold on Me” more than make up for the series' lengthy title or other any other quibbling technicalities in this quick thirty-eight minutes. You simply don't hear catchy hits like “Shop Around” or “I Second That Emotion” and the grooving “Mickey's Monkey” or “More Love” on the radio anymore – sacrilege! Downsizing soul lovers may not have the room or equipment for poor sounding records, either, and these tracks certainly sound better than my scratchy 45s! This set is a great, affordable download for an old school newcomer's Motown education as well as the perfect nostalgic stocking stuffer for older, reminiscing relatives.

The Definitive Collection: Diana Ross and The Supremes – On one hand, the chronological order here belies The Supremes somewhat, as the incredibly catchy “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” and “Come See About Me” are intentionally orchestrated hits with similar rhythms and hooks. If you like one Supremes song, you will immediately recognize every other one, and that was the Motown plan. However, as this 2008 session progresses, the power of the group emerges with increasingly toe tapping and singing along staples like “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Back in My Arms Again,” “Nothing but Heartaches,” and “I Hear a Symphony.” Grand dame Diana Ross' vocals strengthen amid the hallmark harmonies of Mary and Flo in “My World is Empty without You,” “Love is Like an Itching in My Heart,” and the indispensable “You Can't Hurry Love.” It's quite fascinating to open with a packaged cookie cutter girl group and over an hour hear a decade's worth of musical growth becoming the bittersweet pinnacle of “You Keep Me Hangin' On” and “Love is Here and Now You're Gone.” Mature, psychedelic touches raise “Reflections” and the then saucy of “The Happening,” “Love Child,” and “I'm Living in Shame” – replacing the early happy go lucky beats with scandals and sophistication before the co - Temptations titan “I'm Gonna Make You Love Me” and my ironic finale favorite “Someday We'll Be Together.” This set is indeed a definitive, superb encapsulation of everything a new Supremes fan needs as well as the tunes for which longtime listeners yearn – because alas, sometimes one's Supremes A Go Go record just won't play anymore. And yes, I did have a cat named Baby Love, what of it?

The Drifters Golden Hits – Glory! This compilation originally from 1968 has that elusive original songs by the original artists – an essential adherence when one is seeking the delicious strings of my favorite “There Goes My Baby,” the sweet “If You Cry True Love,” effortless “Dance with Me,” forever dynamite “This Magic Moment,” and perennial last call “Save the Last Dance for Me.” And that's not to mention “I Count the Tears,” “Up on the Roof,” and “On Broadway.” Hot diggity I'm running out of superlatives! Yippee “Under the Boardwalk” and its often overlooked sequel “I've Got Sand in My Shoes” round out the happy listening here alongside “Saturday Night at the Movies.” However, knowing The Drifters' penchant for revolving door membership do overs, “Some Kind of Wonderful” does sound like a CD reissue re-record, and there are other similarly named but inferior compilations to beware. Though already packing a musical education if there ever was one in just a half hour, I suppose you can't win them all as this set obviously lacks singles from the Clyde McPhatter era. “Please Stay” and “Sweets for My Sweets” are also missing, but fortunately, the original essentials of the Ben E. King, Rudy Lewis, and Johnny Moore leads are here. Did I say glory? Glory! When you need a quality Drifters release, this is the one to get. 
 

Sam Cooke Portrait of a Legend: 1951-1964 – This extensive, exceptional, much-lauded seventy-seven minute 2003 collection combines classic hits and soulful gospel tunes alongside a plethora of memorable Cooke gems including “You Send Me,” “Only Sixteen,” “Cupid,” “What a Wonderful World,” “Chain Gang,” “Another Saturday Night,” and “Having a Party.” Whew! There are quality cutting a rug hits, too, such as “Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha,” “Meet Me at Mary's Place,” “Good Times,” “Twistin' the Night Away,” and “Shake” amid ballads like “I'll Come Running Back to You,” “You Were Made for Me,” “Sad Mood,” “Nothing Can Change This Love,” “That's Where It's At,” and my impeccable fave “Bring It on Home to Me.” But wait, there's still more catchy romantic smooth and sway with “Lovable,” “Just for You,” “Win Your Love for Me,” “Sugar Dumpling,” and “(Aint' That) Good News.” Updated covers including “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons,” “Little Red Rooster,” “Summertime,” and “Tennessee Waltz” are peppered among the inspiring breezy “Touch the Hem of his Garment” and spiritual “Jesus Gave Me Water” before the humming “Soul” thirty second hidden track and the ever important posthumous “A Change is Gonna Come.” Indubitably, this is much more exhaustive than the shorter, now more elusive The Best of Sam Cooke – a fine set that was one of my first over-played and chewed up cassettes. From grooves to bittersweets and all the pop and balladry in between, this set is a jam-packed present with a little bit of everything one needs to love this tragic soul pioneer.

The Essential Now That's What I Call Christmas

The Essential Now That’s What I Call Christmas Does What It Says

by Kristin Battestella

The Essential Now That's What I Call Christmas is a 2008 holiday collection brimming with 25 tracks for nearly 80 minutes of both traditional and contemporary Yule staples for one and all. Yowza!

Ironically, The Essential gets off to a bittersweet start with Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John & Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir – a lovely but sociological somber that feels more like it should be a penultimate track. Of course, Elvis is on hand to serve up everyone's favorite little melancholy in Blue Christmas, and later on Wham! provides some more recent toe tapping sadness with Last Christmas. Fortunately, several mid century classics including It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year from Andy Williams and Dean Martin's Baby, It's Cold Outside set a more lighthearted seasonal mood as does the whimsical Johnny Mathis version of It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. Burl Ives' A Holly Jolly Christmas adds some more peppy fun for The Essential alongside Little Saint Nick by The Beach Boys, and the kids can have a good time with Gene Autry's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late).

The Jackson 5's version of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town shakes up the merriment and Chuck Berry's Run Rudolph Run creates some groove – don't lie, everyone sings along to Elmo & Patsy's Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and secretly dances to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Little Miss Dynamite Brenda Lee. Oddly, rather than the Brenda Lee or Bobbly Helms versions, Hall & Oates take on Jingle Bell Rock is included here. However, the Now That's What I Call Christmas franchise is also only repeating a handful of songs or renditions on The Essential that were already included on previous Now That's What I Call Christmas Volumes 1, 2, or 3 – shrewdly swaying listeners to pick up this set to complete their holiday music collection. José Feliciano's Feliz Navidad and Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmastime fit The Essential's catchy theme, but the Donny Hathaway original This Christmas plays suave alongside Elton John's throwback Step into Christmas.

Two new in 2008 singles Mistletoe from Colbie Caillat and Ledisi's very smooth This Christmas (Could Be the One) feel a little less famous and slightly out of place amid the classic names. Indeed, there are a few songs on The Essential I could do without – some are certainly more perennial or timeless compared to others steeped in their dated era. Too much of the engineered pop saccharin sounds the same after awhile, becoming nothing but holiday background noise. As much as this session provides some titular must haves, there are certainly several big songs missing – cough The Christmas Song and White Christmas cough – not to mention the lack of, you know, Christmas carols. The Little Drummer Boy from the Harry Simeone Chorale is an unusually old fashioned choice for The Essential, and Do You Hear What I Hear? by Carrie Underwood and Amy Grant's Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) mark a brief spiritual block of longer, reverent ballads before The Essential concludes with a slightly misrepresenting but no less gentle and appropriately fitting Silent Night from The Temptations.

Yes, the numbers, volumes, and titles of these Now That's What I Call Christmas sets can become increasingly confusing. The Essential will repeat hits you already have on other combination collections and original albums. This CD is packed with mostly shorter tracks, and the mix is uneven with some songs being louder or at a lower volume than others. There are precious few powerhouse vocals or ballads and only a handful of religious tunes. However, the catch all by design also makes it easy to skip to your favorites. By and large, these are the original editions we want to hear, not generic covers or instrumentals often found on cheap compilation sets. The Essential Now That's What I Call Christmas is a breezy, safe potluck of secular classics, contemporary rock, and seasonal pop. Be it the office playlist or a fast all in one place download, there's a little something for everyone to be found here.

Motown and Soul Gift Goodness!

Motown, Soul, and Sweetness!

By Kristin Battestella

What's not to love about these great gentleman – and some of their special lady compatriots – when there are such sweet compilations like this to gift, enjoy, and sing along again and again? That's what I thought!

The Best of The Temptations Millennium Collection Volume 1: The 60s – The title is a mouthful and this decade leg is not nearly as exhaustive as my beloved Temptations Anthology LP set, but the big Motown tunes such as “My Girl,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” and “Get Ready” are here. However, I won't lie, my sole purpose in picking up this CD was for the Diana Ross and the Supremes powerhouse duet “I'm Gonna Make You Love Me.” Hot Diggity! The staples are generally in chronological order from “Beauty is Only Skin Deep,” “Ain't Too Proud to Beg,” and “You're My Everything” to “I Wish It Would Rain,” “(I Know) I'm Losing You,” and “Can't Get Next to You.” Regardless of who's singing lead, if you like one tune, you like 'em all! I can't believe I had almost forgotten some of the songs I hadn't heard in a long time, but then it's all the nicer when you hear them again without any vinyl hiss. It's sad that this half hour session goes by quick, as there is certainly enough material and disc space to have something longer. The track list here isn't totally comparable to the group's first 1966 Greatest compilation, either, so why skimp customers into a Volume 2 and leave an early hits set incomplete without “The Girl's Alright with Me” and “Since I Lost My Baby”? Although “Cloud Nine” feels slightly psychedelic soul tacked on, I can accept the fact that my favorite “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” doesn't meet the inclusion criteria – for the title does indeed do what it says in capturing the classic Smokey Robinson produced era of the group. This is an affordable download or easy gift for the nostalgic audience to revisit some excellent music.

The Greatest Hits of Jackie Wilson – Can you imagine the media frenzy that would follow him if Jackie Wilson had lived today? There are indeed numerous compilations featuring the late star, but this 1998 CD is quite complete with 16 songs including everything from the catchy brass of “Reet Petite” and simply dreamy “To Be Loved” to us all trying to sing along with “Lonely Teardrops” and of course, “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.” The foot tapping doesn't let up with “That's Why (I Love You So),” “I'll Be Satisfied,” and “Talk That Talk,” and the sweeping romance blossoms with “Night,” “Doggin' Around,” and “A Woman, a Lover, a Friend.” That's already all the magic for most albums, but “Am I the Man” and “Baby Workout” add more grooving while “Danny Boy” provides mellow high notes. Later career hits “Whispers (Getting Louder),” “I Get the Sweetest Feeling,” and “You Got Me Walking” conclude this quick moving session, and with most all tracks under three minutes, a lot is packed in to this 43 minute set. A similar song listing is on the earlier 1994 The Very Best of Jackie Wilson, however neither has a companion download edition compared to the more recent two disc Ultimate Jackie Wilson release. Smooth sounds at the office or accenting dinner for two – this is a great starter gift for newfound fans as well as an essential for any classic soul lover.

Marvin Gaye 15 Greatest Hits – Talk about some more turbulence in which TMZ would revel! This 1990 hour starts with “How Sweet It Is to be Loved by You,” ends with the twelve minute “Got to Give It Up,” and has quite a bit of pleasure and commentary in between with “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby,” “Let's Get It On,” “What's Going On,” and “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology).” While hits such as “I Heard it through the Grapevine” and the “Your Precious Love” and “You're All I Need to Get By” duets with Tammi Terrell are here, “Ain't Nothing like the Real Thing” and “Ain't No Mountain High Enough” also with Terrell are unfortunately absent, as is “Sexual Healing.” Thankfully, the Diana Ross duet “My Mistake (Was to Love You)” is included, and there are several other duets-alone compilations to be had. There's such a goldmine of Marvin both with and without his girls, I guess there had to be a cut off somewhere, and some of the tracks here are the shorter, single edits rather than the full album versions. “Ain't That Peculiar,” “That's the Way Love Is,” “Trouble Man,” and “I Want You” provide more swanky, smooth, and grooving hits while “Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)” continues the social statements. Again, some of the glaring absences leave a slightly incomplete feeling. However, I don't want to call this a 'budget' CD edition simply because this is still a lengthy session brimming with such sweet sounds – making for a delightful fix for mind and body.

These be skippers!

The Drifters 20 Greatest Hits (1993) and The Drifters Greatest Hits (1991) – I have to say, it is a right major pain in the fricking arse being a fan of The Drifters – a group that has had no less than fifty band members in its revolving door line up. Seriously, go have a look at the who's who chart on their wikipedia page! New or returning incarnations either attempt to differentiate as 'so and so with The Drifters' or 'The Drifters featuring who' billings while other same name line ups feel like they are trying to trick you with their inferior remakes, deceptive covers, and sound alike re-recordings of the classic Clyde McPhatter, Ben E. King, and Rudy Lewis fronted tunes. Often, it feels like unless you have the original LPs or 45s, you don't know what you're going to get on a CD or download, and like other classic rock and roll listeners, it is those R&B paragon originals that I want to hear. So, I've attempted to discern the tunes here to save us some trouble. Unfortunately, outside of poorly remastered, seemingly spliced up combinations, or live cover versions of “Ruby Baby,” Money Honey,” “When My Little Girl Is Smiling,” “Saturday Night at the Movies,” “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover,” “Another Saturday Night” “My Girl,” “I'll Take You Home,” and “Honey Love,” the remaining 11 of the tracks on 20 are copycat editions. On the 1991 compilation, gasp only my favorite “There Goes My Baby” and “Sweets for My Sweet” are the 'original recordings by the original artist.' I dearly love the mid-century heyday of this group and consider them one of my most beloved essentials in early rock studies, but my word the studio controlled or management owned rights battles and rocky rivalries make it nearly impossible for today's new listeners – and resentful classic fans – to appreciate The Drifters' impeccable catalog thanks to mash ups like the two here.

The Temptations Give Love at Christmas

The Temptations’ Give Love at Christmas Sets the Mellow Mood

By Kristin Battestella

The longstanding Motown quintet The Temptations adds a different kind of soul to the season with their 1980 album Give Love at Christmas. While there are a few hiccups, this remains a sophisticated listen for old school fans or adults seeking a certain candlelight and Christmas mood.

Give Love on Christmas Day is a tad dated and somewhat generic to start Give Love at Christmas – it just doesn’t really sound like a December ode. Fortunately, it is a well belted standard in proper Temptations fashion, and there is a nice sentiment about what people really ought to do by giving of themselves instead of wasting the holiday on something more fleeting like shopping. Repeating from their 1970 The Temptations’ Christmas Card, The Christmas Song is updated here with a new swanky and indeed tempting spin on the traditional Torme staple. Fun, down deep bass ad-libs mix with the seasonal lyrics, combing the R&B and the easy holiday listening perfectly. This is, however, an oddly placed somber stuck between Give Love on Christmas Day and Love Comes at Christmas, which with its seasonal generosity in full swing, feels like a sequel to the first track. Are these two so similar merriment tunes a bit too interchangeable? Perhaps, but we can forgive The Temptations because they both sound so sweet. 

A previous version of The Little Drummer Boy appears on The Temptations Christmas Card as well, but this redo for Give Love at Christmas has some sort of funk beat and disco groove littering the composition. I would have loved to hear just the melodic harmonizing and vocal magic only The Temptations can provide, but unfortunately, I’m not really sure what they were trying to do with this rendition. Since this is a carol we don’t hear that often, this unusual attempt probably gets a pass. However, this was definitely a missed opportunity for some of the few singers who could have really done something special with this innocent tale – instead of, you know, bell bottoming it up. Thankfully, This Christmas remains the standout here with a focused, suave delivery brimming of seasonal merriment and holiday romance amid the titular refrains. Give Love at Christmas is actually a very mature session, seemingly groovy for the kid’s ears but unabashedly sublime in its adult sounds of the season. Again, a pleasingly smooth sentiment to hear in a year-end quarter increasingly focused on the money making juvenile aspects of Christmas. 

Likewise, Everything for Christmas slows down Give Love at Christmas with sexy talk of caviar, cherries, and champagne. Yes, it is a little more of the same with three romantic December tunes taking up precious time where only one was needed in a short, 34 minute album. Luckily, The Temptations know not to fix what isn’t broken, and they are so great at this seasonal dinner for two soundtrack. Christmas Everyday is another track strangely placed between the cocktails and the soft finale. This bemusing bass and mini rock out might have been better served by pairing the two faster songs together and thus leaving the overall slow, smooth sentiments uninterrupted. The Silent Night finale – again a do over from Christmas Card – has a little bit of everything from a hint of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and verses of peace and well wishes to a lush, traditional lead, sweet bass, and perfect harmonies. Obviously, Give Love at Christmas is a secularly designed album, but it’s nice to hear Jesus mentioned once or twice on a Christmas album. Some bigger holiday staples can be found on The Temptations Christmas Card, but I don’t know why they would chose to redo songs already there before giving us more full on glorious carols Temptations style.

Give Love at Christmas doesn’t have the line up from The Temptations’ 1964-71 heights, which may automatically put off some listeners who think this is an in name only, washed up release, and this late seventies infusion may also be too dated for younger audiences compared to such a timeless heyday. However, original member still going strong Otis Williams, late bass Melvin Franklin, tenor Glenn Leonard, baritone Richard Street, and the returned Dennis Edwards are all here. Of course, it took some digging to find out exactly which Temptations are part of Give Love at Christmas – the fine print on the CD jacket is very small! Fortunately, the seasonal feelings, recognizable Temptations sound, and some Motown fun keep Give Love at Christmas a pleasing listen for a couple’s night in or trimming the tree with the whole family – so long as the kids don’t pick up on the whiff of soul saucy!