This box set of soul tracks is a step above the others thanks to its blend of familiar favorites and collectable rarities, like the British-made sides from the Real Thing and
Ruby Turner,
New York City's "I'm Doing Fine Now", the
Jaki Graham numbers, and the Southern delights from Ann Peeples. The marathon begins with
Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman" and ends with
the Average White Band's scot-soul rendition of "Walk On By." In between are creamy fillings from
the Chi-lites,
William DeVaughn,
Timmy Thomas' only hit "Why Can't We Live Together," plus light soul from
Shalamar, old-school rollicking with "Harlem Shuffle" by
Bob & Earl, and jazzy sounds from
Dinah Washington and
Nina Simone. This is a real something-for-everybody set and a great box for outings and gatherings -- just pop the discs in, let the 54 tracks play randomly, and forget about it.