Ultimate Collection
Motown's "girl with the golden voice" actually spent only four of her 22 career years as a chart maker for the Detroit diskery, but Mary Wells was truly the Motor City machine's first bona fide solo female star. "Bye Bye Baby," the first track on this fine 25-cut compilation, was written by a teenage Wells for then-superstar Jackie Wilson; while she managed to get it to Berry Gordy Jr., the author of many of Wilson's earliest hits, she didn't know that it would give her the first of 10 consecutive hits of her own. This collection provides a comprehensive overview of Wells's Motown years and is an essential purchase. Here are the obvious classics: the perennial "My Guy," written and produced by Smokey Robinson; the equally timeless "You Beat Me to the Punch"; the unforgettable "Two Lovers"; and the marvelous "One Who Really Loves You." But then there are some other wonderful inclusions, such as "I'll Be Available" and "When I'm Gone," two scheduled but never-issued singles; the equally obscure "Whisper You Love Me Boy" (redone by vanilla Motown diva Chris Clark); the hidden gem "Goodbye and Good Luck"; and some great B-sides. Duets with Marvin Gaye ("What's the Matter with You Baby" and "Once upon a Time") and three post-Motown hits ("Use Your Head," "Never, Never Leave Me," and "Dear Lover") make this a must for those wanting a comprehensive package of the singer's early years.--David Nathan