This is a 16-song
Southern soul
smorgasbord from
Willie Mitchell
's Memphis-based
Hi
family of labels.
Mitchell
orchestrated
Al Green
's chart success and scored some smaller triumphs with
Syl Johnson
and
Ann Peebles
, but
Hi Records
never challenged
Motown
's or even
Stax
's crossover success.
's wrenching performance of
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?"
is the only mass-programmed cut on this collection. But hearing any of the other tracks for the first time is like receiving a Christmas gift and not returning it. Besides the gritty, relentless performances by
Green
,
Johnson
Peebles
Norman West
(ex-
Soul Children
),
Don Bryant
, and
Willie Clayton
, there are fine efforts from two underrated female groups,
Quiet Elegance
(three selections) and
Known Facts
, as well as male harmony via
Important Moods
' aching
"What Have You Done to My Heart?"
~ Andrew Hamilton