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 ...

Director: Charlie Robins. Photographers: Stephanie Methven; Josh Burton; Bao Nguyen; Rune Hellestad. Arranger: Chris Elliott. Personnel: Adele (vocals, guitar); Matt Allchin, Ben Thomas , Michael Tighe, Ben Thomas (guitar); Neil Cowley (piano, Hammond b-3 organ, Wurlitzer organ); Jason Silver (keyboards); Sam Koppelman (glockenspiel); ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Trying a little harder than its generic packaging might imply, Playlist: The Very Best of Charlie Wilson kicks off with a 12" mix of the former Gap Band member's hit "Outstanding" before rounding up all the obvious highlights from the ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Don't let the title fool you; after listening to The Only Doo-Wop Collection You'll Ever Need, you'll definitely want more. This is a good starting point for the curious, since all the basics are here in the original hit versions: ...

Originally released on Argo (4003). Includes liner notes by Andy McKaie. Digitally remastered by Erick Labson (MCA Music Media Studios, North Hollywood, California). When Etta James signed with Chess Records in 1960, the label decided to pair her raw, bluesy singing with ...

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 ...

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" ...

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 ...

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 ...

That's Nas' ex-wife Kelis' wedding dress on the cover: she's a fellow recording artist, the two have a kid together, and she wasn't consulted about the album cover or the album itself. Life Is Good is that kind of album, ...

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 ...

It should come as no surprise that a woman who counts Dionne Warwick as a cousin, Aretha Franklin as a family friend, and whose mother was a legendary session and gospel singer, became a phenomenally successful R&B act. Perhaps more ...

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, ...

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 ...

All the subtle variations on Kem's sound -- his exceptionally smooth adult contemporary R&B, modern quiet storm that has earned the singer two gold-selling albums -- add up to a set that doesn't sound like a mere rehash of his ...

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 ...