Best of CD

Now that it's become mainstream, there's a lot of quality R&B around, but it's not until you go back and listen to veterans like the Gap Band that you realize what modern soul is often missing: raw funk. This collection includes some of the funkiest and smoothest tracks you'll ever hear. In fact, even if you've never heard old-school soul, you'll be familiar with the riffs and bass lines: they're the type of classics today's producers reference in almost every great party jam. Tracks like "Early in the Morning" and "Outstanding" are just ripe for sampling, and "Shake" and "Burn Rubber" throw you back in time, grooving on a dance floor and bobbin' your head. The adrenaline only slows for superslick ballads like "Yearning for Your Love." A blueprint for today's R&B. --Rebecca Wallwork