The Ultimate Otis Redding
One Redding greatest-hits is pretty much as good as another--his work as the king of soul spanned barely five years, and the big issue is how you want to hear his hits sequenced.Ultimateleads off with a few signature songs, then concentrates on the very similar 6/8 deep-soul ballads that he specialized in early on. Redding, with his gritty-as-cornmeal drawl, could communicate the depths of romantic despair better than anyone of his era, but he was also a great uptempo soul shouter. It's not until the second half ofUltimatethat a few more of the faster, more joyful numbers that he got to sing later on show up, as well as "Tramp," a priceless bit of Southern humor he sang with Carla Thomas.--Douglas Wolk