Samples include "Computer Love" (as performed by Zapp), "A Dream" (E. Jordan), "Winter Sadness" (as performed by Kool & The Gang), and "Friends" (as performed by Whodini). "Changes" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Though posthumous ...

This is one of the most classic R&B Christmas albums ever recorded; the Temptations come steppin' in prime form. With a chiming introduction, "Give Love on Christmas Day" is an uplifting jingle showcasing Glenn Leonard's unwavering falsetto on lead. "Everything ...

Representative of the transition between late-1970s funk and the smooth R&B that came to dominate '80s pop radio, Frankie Beverly's Maze is rightfully recognized as an important band in the genre. This 2004 compilation brings together 18 of Maze's finest ...

While several best-ofs from Etta James' Chess period have been available over the years -- with the two-disc, 44-track Essential Etta James at the top of the list in giving the big picture -- this 20-track collection sweats that bigger ...

Nominated for five Grammy Awards, shortlisted for the prestigious BBC Sound of 2012 poll, and courted by everyone from Chicago producer Kaskade to metal icons Korn, former From First to Last frontman Sonny Moore's transition from post-hardcore vocalist to dubstep ...

An Atlanta rapper with ties to OutKast, Future is a true ATLien, mumbling his way through infectious hooks and frequently drenching his vocals in Auto-Tune, not to correct the pitch but to further muddle and murk his delivery. It was ...

Building on the superstar guest list plus the crossover attitude of their 2011 release Los Vaqueros: El Regreso, Wisin & Yandel use reggaeton as a jumping-off point on Lideres, offering an album full of Latin pop, dance-pop, and hip-hop while ...

The proper follow-up to 2010's certified gold Passion, Pain & Pleasure, Chapter V is, as its title indicates, the fifth studio album by Trey Songz. Three of its songs have already been released as singles. "Heart Attack," a vulnerable midtempo ...

If there's a reason to cheer for 2 Chainz, it's that the limited but now loveable rapper lifted himself out of a dead-end group (the Sporty Thievz-like Playaz Circle), dropped his awful name (who wants to say they're the world's ...

In the grand tradition of Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. genre-hopper Kid Rock chooses to lay down his raps over a bed of rock-oriented electric guitar riffs instead of traditional hip-hop tracks and beats. Unlike the aforementioned ...

It is impossible to overrate Otis Redding. This Rhino compilation, while in no way comprehensive, is nonetheless an outstanding sampler of songs by one of soul music's all-time titans. There's not a dud among these 16 songs, and some, like ...

Recorded at the Hit Factory, New York. Producers: Mariah Carey, Loris Holland, Walter Afanasieff. Composers: Mariah Carey; Walter Afanasieff. Personnel: Mariah Carey (vocals, background vocals); Dann Huff (guitar); Lenny Pickett (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Greg Phillinganes, Loris Holland (piano); Walter Afanasieff (keyboards, synthesizer, ...

The Spinners were rivaled only by the O'Jays as the greatest Philly soul group, and for that matter the greatest vocal group of the '70s. For listeners who don't want to dig as deeply as the excellent double-CD anthology One ...

This is part of Motown Records' "The Ultimate Collection" series. With the exception of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, one would be hard pressed to name a Motown act who went through as many creative shifts as the Temptations. While Wonder's ...

Digitally remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio (Polygram Studios). The disco revival came in the mid-90s and white suits, dodgy shirt collars and trousers with massive flares were once again the order of the day. While this album's success drove people mad ...

THE PREACHER'S WIFE was nominated for a 1988 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. "I Believe In You And Me" was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. That renaissance gal is at it again. As ...

It's quite easy to place Roberta Flack near the top of the pile of singer/songwriters who changed the course of pop music, not only soul music, during the '70s. She was fortunate enough to deliver the velvet-smooth ballad "The First ...

Following up 2008's Funhouse, 2012's The Truth About Love is vocalist P!nk's sixth studio album. Featuring work by a bevy of name producers including Greg Kurstin, Butch Walker, Max Martin, Dan Wilson, and others, the album once again showcases P!nk's ...

It was inevitable that Whitney Houston would be subjected to a greatest-hits album after her untimely death in the spring of 2012 death, and I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston is the first of these, an ...

The first pressings of THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION included a bonus disc featuring rare tracks. Although Lionel Richie was AWOL for most of the '90s, he's still a pop culture force to be reckoned with, and THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION ably supports this ...

Eighteen tracks, from the early '70s to the mid-'80s, including his early Top Ten singles, but also minor hits like "Grandma's Hands," "Kissing My Love," and "Lovely Day." Those who admire songs like "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine" ...

ME AGAINST THE WORLD was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. "Dear Mama" was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance. Forget everything you've heard and assumed about rapper/actor 2Pac and think only of his music, which has ...

Lionel Richie's birthplace is Tuskegee, Alabama so for his 2012 country duets album, Tuskegee, he is trumpeted as the country boy returning to his roots. And there's something to that: as a songwriter, Richie has had success on the country ...

Aaliyah's debut paved the way for a legion of teen-aged female R&B singers, including Brandy, Monica and 702. Aaliyah is no kid, though; she sings with a maturity that belies her age. Much about her life has changed, but she ...

This stellar 1995 Christmas album is not your typical release of holiday standards. In fact, Luther helped pen most of the songs on this album. His originals include the excellent "With a Christmas Heart," "This Is Christmas," and "A Kiss ...