Lean on Me: The Best of Bill Withers

1	Lovely Day 4:12
2	I Want to Spend the Night 3:39
3	Let Me Be the One You Need 4:41
4	Hello Like Before 5:25
5	Tender Things 4:55
6	I Wish You Well 3:57
7	Ain't No Sunshine 2:03
8	Grandma's Hands 1:59
9	The Same Love That Made Me Laugh 3:21
10	Lean on Me 4:17
11	Harlem 3:21
12	Use Me 3:42
13	Who Is He (And What Is He to You)? 3:12
14	You Just Can't Smile It Away 4:41
15	Just the Two of Us / Grover Washington Jr. 3:56
16	Steppin' Right Along 5:42
17	You Try to Find a Love 5:42
18	My Imagination 4:53

Barnes & Noble

Despite the abrupt end of his brilliant recording career in 1985, Bill Withers's legacy lives on. Since his self-imposed exile, his sentimental and bluesy soul songs have been covered by a wide variety of artists including Club Nouveau ("Lean on Me"), Me'Shell NdégeOcello ("Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?"), Will Smith ("Just the Two of Us"), and Paul McCartney ("Ain't No Sunshine"). The Gap even built a highly successful commercial campaign around his 1977 hit "Lovely Day." What makes this best-of package the quintessential Withers experience, however, is the inclusion of a number of lesser-known songs that show off the song man's R&B, funk, jazz, and folk nuances. Among the highlights are the string-laden "Harlem," the bossa-nova groove of "I Want to Spend the Night," and the brassy soul of "I Wish You Well." In the disc's liner notes, Withers eloquently describes his music: "We all have different rhythms and rhymes. Mine might be slower than one man's and faster than another's. All I know for sure is this: When I'm writing, I'm a conduit. A larger spirit is moving through me. All I can do is be open when that spirit starts to move." Let's just hope that the spirit moves Withers to bless us with his sweet soul music once again.Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

Eighteen tracks, from the early '70s to the mid-'80s, including his early Top Ten singles, but also minor hits like "Grandma's Hands," "Kissing My Love," and "Lovely Day." Those who admire songs like "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine" are advised to approach this best-of with caution; from the mid-'70s onward, Bill Withers forsook his folky singer/songwriter soul for more anonymous, slick MOR soul and urban contemporary. His early sound was far more distinctive, and his early-'70s Sussex albums are recommended alternatives to this compilation. Richie Unterberger