20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Chuck Jacksonby Anonymous

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May 06, 2004: One of the benefits of record industry conglomeration is that artists whose material spans multiple labels can finally see a decent compilation of their work without requiring multiple quarts of blood be spilled in inter-label negotiations. As such, this appears to be the first compilation of Jackson's smooth soul material that takes in high points from Wand, Motown, All Platinum and EMI, spanning the years 1961 through 1980. ¶ Jackson's pop-soul never cut the sort of deep grooves popularized by Motown, and when he eventually alighted there, his grittier sides, like "Are You Lonely For Me," seemed to miss the sweetness of earlier work. Jackson was strongest when he attached himself to the New York string-and-horn school from which Lieber & Stoller launched their R&B hits. The latter's "I Keep Forgetting" can be heard here, with a punchy staccato arrangement that mixes drums and xylophone with a vocal that's as much show-tune as soul. Jackson's hits, like "Any Day Now," and his slow-burn duet with Maxine Brown, "Something You Got" seem to have been unfairly forgotten amongst the endless oldies radio repetitions of Ben E. King, Otis Redding and a handful of others. ¶ Other collections dig more deeply into specific periods in Jackson's career (e.g., Varese's 1997 "The Very Best of Chuck Jackson" exposes a bigger helping of his Wand sides), but this is a better introduction to his overall artistic arc. Those who find they like a particular period in his career (or all periods, of course) can flesh things out with additional discs. ¶ 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings.