Besides “smooth” and “expressive,” the qualifier “consistent” must be added to any list describing the Lou Rawls sound. This anthology of previously released material includes tracks recorded as early as 1962 and as recently as 1990, and while the arrangements and surrounding styles vary with the era, the warmth, purity, and sincerity of the singing is unvarying. It is particularly interesting to hear material recorded live in 1966: the songs are introduced with stories relating to the black experience in America, told with the same engagement with which Rawls sings, and the rapport with the audience is apparent even on disc. This CD in combination with its follow-up of newly recorded material, Portrait of the Blues, comprise a full education on get-dressed-up urban(e) blues. – Janet Rosen