Love Songs
From the opening notes of "These Arms of Mine," this soul legend's very first hit single, to the truly poignant "I Love You More Than Words Can Say," an exceptional, often-forgotten 1967 charted single, there is absolutely no question that Otis Redding was the master of heart-wrenching ballad delivery. His skill at infusing emotion into a lyric is supremely evident on tracks like his own  "That's What My Heart Needs" andSam Cooke's "Nothing Can Change This Love." Redding turned his reading of the standard "Try a Little Tenderness" into a legitimate R&B; classic, and when it comes to pure and honest delivery, no one can match the much-missed pioneer on tunes like "Just One More Day" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long." Tunes like "Love Man" alongside versions of "A Lover's Question" and "Higher and Higher" seem almost like filler compared to Redding's outstanding performances on "Just One More Day" and "For Your Precious Love." All in all, this collection is a virtual textbook guide to true, to-the-bone soul singing.--David Nathan