CD-Charts Position 121
Average Rating:

The Definitive Collection

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
by: The Marvelettes

Release Date September 23, 2008
The Marvelettes are, arguably, Motown's most underserved artists. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on original albums of theirs, especially late-vintage Marvelettes (The Marvelettes '67, Sophisticated Soul, In Full Bloom, The Return...) you will hear wonderful, soulful vocals and some great songs and arrangements. This was more their "Smokey Robinson period", when he payed great attention to Wanda Rogers and her "country soul" voice, and it is gentle, soulful, and somewhat less polished (in a positive sense) music for Motown at this time.

I was excited to see this release, wondering if this more sophisticated period in their career was represented. What I've discovered is that none of their periods is particularly ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 122
Average Rating:

Grammy Nominees 2002

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
by: Various Artists

Release Date February 05, 2002
The tragedy of September 11th had a enormous impact on the entire entertainment industry. The 2002 Grammy Awards were no exception, as the nominees reflected the musical preferences afterwards. Same applies to the "Grammy Nominees 2002" album, the nominees, in general, convey a somber, traditional and very safe musical stylings. Thus the album doesn't reach the same diverse levels as previous installments:
(1) India.Arie. "Video" B+. What a refreshing breeze to see someone who's not afraid to be themself. As a single this is very important, meaningful and unique. Interesting lyrics and a defined purpose make this a very entertaining listen.
(2) Alicia Keys "Fallin'" A. Alicia has the uncanny ability to take worn out material and give ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 123
Average Rating:

Shotgun

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
by: Jr. Walker & the Allstars

Release Date March 13, 2001
"Tally Ho" is the only cut on this album that I'm not sure whether it made it `out' as a 45, but otherwise this set could have fairly been labeled a "Greatest Hits." It supplied Junior and his men with a roster of sturdy hit singles that spanned better than a year and a half.

"Cleo's Mood" had originally been released on the Harvey Records label in 1962; well before that label was eventually folded into the Motown family. And "Money Jump" from September 1964, was the group's first single release on Motown's subsidiary Soul label after Walker signed with the company. Both of these brought at least some local attention, but it was the gun blast of the next 45 that inaugurated the immediate fame for Junior Walker that lasts to this day.
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CD-Charts Position 124
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Glory Road

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
by: Various Artists, Alicia Keys, Trevor Rabin

Release Date January 10, 2006
The Texas Western victory over Kentucky has got to be THE single most important game ever played in collegiate athletics. Only fitting that the soundtrack calls up the same emotion when you listen to it as watching the film surely does. Great songs, great artists, and great original scores. If you liked the movie, you gotta have this disc. GO MINERS!!!!!

CD-Charts Position 125
Average Rating:

Gold

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
by: Michael Jackson

Release Date August 26, 2008
The Texas Western victory over Kentucky has got to be THE single most important game ever played in collegiate athletics. Only fitting that the soundtrack calls up the same emotion when you listen to it as watching the film surely does. Great songs, great artists, and great original scores. If you liked the movie, you gotta have this disc. GO MINERS!!!!!

CD-Charts Position 126
Average Rating:

Ross

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
by: Diana Ross

Release Date March 07, 2005
Following on from the dreary, mish-mash affair of the Gold-selling Silk Electric (1982) album, soul diva Diana Ross returned to the recording studios with producers Gary Katz and Ray Parker Jnr for her third studio project for RCA/Capitol Records. What resulted was easily her worst album for the label (and infact her entire career!).

Ross (1983) opens with, at the most, mediocre, That's How You Start Over, written by Michael McDonald, Ed Stanford and produced by Gary Katz. That's How You Start Over begins with a wonderful piano interlude that leads you to believe the track is going to pump out into a jamming, soulful affair. Alas, it turns out to be a major diappointment. The mid tempo flow features Ross' appealing enough vocals that also somehow ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 127
Average Rating:

With a Lot o' Soul

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
by: The Temptations

Release Date October 20, 1998
Another enjoyable, hit-filled album of classic R&B. Here the big hits were the pseudo-rocker "(I Know) I'm Losing You", propelled by its circular riff and tenor harmonies, later covered by Rod Stewart; "All I Need", which is enjoyable but rudimentary pop-soul; Eddie Kendricks' smooth, beautiful ballad "You're My Everything", and the painfully over-dramatic "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You I Need", interestingly one of my least favorites. And like most of the classic, proto "psychedelic soul" LP's, the album tracks are far from toss-offs - the driving "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone" and dramatic, gospel influenced (love Paul Williams' vocal!) "No More Water in the Well" can certainly play with the big boys, while "Save My Love for a Rainy Day", again delivered ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 128
Average Rating:

That Special Time of Year

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
by: Gladys Knight & the Pips

Release Date January 01, 2001
There is such a variety of musical styles on "That Special Time of Year" by Gladys Knight & the Pips that it jump starts the ol' Holiday spirit with one listen - it's all here.
THE HAPPIEST TIME OF THE YEAR is a lush, dramatic Christmas ballad.
The title track and JINGLE BELLS are so upbeat they almost require a spinning mirrored ball.
Their cover of THIS CHRISTMAS has been my favorite for years...and this song has been covered by over a dozen top artists.
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN is a fun cut for the kids and the kid in us all.
Also covered by other top artists is WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEARS EVE. Gladys Knight gives an outstanding performance and The Pips keep up with her every step of the way.
THE LORD'S PRAYER" and "WHEN A ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 129
Average Rating:

Thriller

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
from: Epic

Release Date 1982
There is such a variety of musical styles on "That Special Time of Year" by Gladys Knight & the Pips that it jump starts the ol' Holiday spirit with one listen - it's all here.
THE HAPPIEST TIME OF THE YEAR is a lush, dramatic Christmas ballad.
The title track and JINGLE BELLS are so upbeat they almost require a spinning mirrored ball.
Their cover of THIS CHRISTMAS has been my favorite for years...and this song has been covered by over a dozen top artists.
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN is a fun cut for the kids and the kid in us all.
Also covered by other top artists is WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEARS EVE. Gladys Knight gives an outstanding performance and The Pips keep up with her every step of the way.
THE LORD'S PRAYER" and "WHEN A ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 130
Average Rating:

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Four Tops

CD-Charts > Music > Motown
by: The Four Tops

Release Date November 30, 1999
I would love to have been a fly on the wall in the offices of Universal/Motown when they began putting the various releases in this series together eight or nine years ago. If only to hear explanations as to why some were to contain 11 tracks and others 12, and how they arrived at a consensus as to what constituted the "best" of the various artists.

To be sure, by any standards applied, tracks 1, 3 to 6 and 10 and 11 have to be considered among the best of this R&B voocal group from Detroit who, from 1964 to 1988, put 45 songs into the Billboard Pop Hot 100, 52 onto the R&B charts, and seven on the Adult Contemporary (AC) listings.

But when it comes to tracks 2 and 7 to 9 there were four that were as good, or better, such as It's The Same Old Song ... Read More: