(Hip-O)
!!!!! AVOID !!!!!
Not in the mood to write very formally today, so bear with me. Someone I know felt I would greatly enjoy this compilation; luckily, they don't read this blog as far as I know. It isn't in dispute here that Aaron Neville has a hell of a voice. At times, like on his fine version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," it has the nuance and vulnerability of Marvin Gaye. But the production style he tends to be saddled with and selection of songs, often pop standards, he tends to be given are tasteless. It's extraordinarily difficult to listen to this best-of, and worse yet it omits many of his better cuts, like "Apeman." Instead it's firmly driven toward the adult contemporary pap market, with distressingly bland versions of great songs like "Bird on a Wire" and numerous instances of fine singing wasted on subpar material. Probably worst of all is the duet with the great Tammy Wynette, allowing you to hear two legends waste their time for the price of one.
I remain open to the possibility that there is Neville material out there that can convert me; I bet his spiritual recordings are solid. But this shit isn't even worth a full listen. Sorry.
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