20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Jerry Butler

Performer: Jerry Butler
Artist: Brenda Lee Eager
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Producers: Gamble & Huff, Jerry Ross, Robert Bowles, Gerald Simms, Jerry Butler. Compliation producer: Harry Weinger. Recorded between 1967 & 1969. Includes liner notes by Stu Hackel. Digitally remastered by Suha Gur (Universal Mastering Studios East). Arrangers: James Mack; Joe Renzetti ; Robert Bowles; Bobby Martin ; Jimmy Wisner; Thom Bell. Glorious late '60s and early '70s soul by one of the true masters. This one disc best-of (for a more expansive look at Jerry Butler's career, check the two disc box set ICEMAN) covers Butler's tenure at Mercury Records (1966-73) after an earlier stay at Vee Jay, and thus necessarily stints on classics like "He Will Break Your Heart." Just about everything included here is memorable, though, whether it be crossover pop smashes like " "Hey, Mr. Western Union Man," and "Only the Strong Survive," or lesser-known tracks like the electric-sitar drenched ballad "Ain't Understanding Mellow" (a duet with the charmingly-named Brenda Lee Eager).

Known as "the Iceman" for his cool delivery, Jerry Butler is one of the linchpins of Chicago soul. In the 1950s, he started out singing gospel, and was subsequently an original member of the Impressions, but around the turn of the decade he embarked on a highly successful solo career. Occasionally accompanied by female duet partners (Betty Everett, Brenda Lee Eager), Butler trademarked an urbane soul sound that mixed in liberal doses of pop sensibilities and production. Though he never abandoned singing, Butler entered politics in the '80s, ultimately becoming the Cook County Commissioner, and pursuing public works with the same intensity that characterized his musical career.

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