The Very Best

Performer: Lou Rawls
Artist: Phoebe Snow; George Benson; Richard Tee; Steve Khan; Cornell Dupree
Producer: David Axelrod; Billy Vera; Michael Cuscuna; Michael Cuscuna (Compilation)
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Lou Rawls (vocals); George Benson (vocals, guitar); Phoebe Snow (vocals); Cornell Dupree, Herb Ellis, Steve Khan (guitar); Tom Pomposello (slide guitar); Joe Lovano (flute); Dick Oatts (alto flute); Junior Wells (harmonica); Hank Crawford, Bobby Watson (alto saxophone); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Jack Walrath (trumpet); Richard Tee (piano, electric piano); Tommy Strode (piano); Tinker Barfield (bass instrument); Jimmy Bond (bass guitar); Chris Parker, Earl Palmer (drums); Ralph MacDonald (percussion). Recording information: 1966 - 1990. The Lou Rawls installation in Blue Note's THE VERY BEST series picks tracks from different points in the singer's career. The 12-track compilation kicks off with a double-header from his excellent 1966 live album LOU RAWLS LIVE: the comfortable, confessional audience-rap "Southside Blues" giving way to a deeply soulful reading of "Tobacco Road." Rawls's take on the Hayes-Porter Stax-era classic "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)," from 1969, keeps the smoky, bluesy vibe smoldering. The disc skips over Rawls's '70s forays into soul and light disco (when he had a very successful tenure with Gamble and Huff's Philly International) and his work from the '80s. The set picks back up in 1989 with the lush ballad "At Last" (featuring Dianne Reeves), and proceeds into the '90s with Rawls's covers of blues tunes (Lowell Fulsom's "Room with a View" and Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You"), R&B-styled ballads ("This Bitter Earth"), and adult contemporary tracks like "A Lover's Question," a duet with Phoebe Snow. On all of these cuts Rawls warm, resonant baritone--which balances between a smooth, concert-hall croon and a gritty, soul delivery--is in great form, making THE VERY BEST a strong sampler of his style.

Chicago-born soulster Lou Rawls was one of the most popular and versatile singers in pop music during the 1960s and '70s. His distinctive baritone, as well-suited to pop and jazz as it was to straight soul, formed a seductive blend of silk and gravel, and made a fan out of, among others, Frank Sinatra. Rawls lent his unique style to some of the biggest names in the music business, including David Axelrod and Gamble & Huff. His later career was marked by occasional acting gigs as well his work with the United Negro College Fund. When Rawls died of lung cancer in early 2006, the music world lost a genuine treasure.

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