With a rich baritone voice that was as smooth and smoky as deep honey,
Brook Benton's creative peak as a performer and singer (excepting his 1970 comeback hit with
Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia") was arguably during his time at Mercury Records where, working with writer and producer
Clyde Otis, he came up with his trademark version of lushly orchestrated R&B, particularly on the ballads, which allowed
Benton's intimate vocals and phrasing to best shine. This single-disc set collects two of
Benton's albums for Mercury,
There Goes That Song Again (with
Quincy Jones and his orchestra) and
Singing the Blues, both of which originally appeared in 1962, and adds in four bonus tracks for good measure.