Customer Reviews

Very Best of

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have always loved the sound of Howard Hewett's voice as he combines a gritty tenor with a falsetto to create a sound that is unmistakenly Howard. Never over the top, but just right!!!This CD starts with 2 selections from Howard's work with Shalamar, a hugely underrated musical group that sounds as great today as it did back in the day.

The CD goes on with songs that sound great and have a timeless quality to them, but were never huge hits as Howard Hewett has (for better or worse) remained under the radar as far as sales go. Among with favorite songs are "Show Me" and "If I Could Onlt Have That Day Back", both from his self titled CD, which was probably his most commercially successful release. There are a couple of great covers and his early exposure to gospel music plays an integral part of most of the lesser known, yet wonderful, songs.

I am happy that Rhino released this CD as Howard never enjoyed the solo success that he had when he was with Shalamar or that Jodie Watley enjoyed in the mid 1980s and with her amazing new CD. My point is that Howard is not a "natural" for selling records, but if his other fans are half as enthusiastic about him as I am, hopefully they will buy this comprehensive CD and see what he does next.

The only issue that I have with this release is not relevant in the big picture but I want to highlight it for future efforts by companies when they are putting together "best of" collections. PLEASE, have someone who has a true connection with the artist provide the artist's story. Most of the story here comes from a female writer who milks the whole romeo, he's so fine, instead of having someone (male or female) tackle this opportunity with zest and focus on events that might be of interest to Howard's fans. Notwithstanding this minor annoyance, I highly recommend this CD and think that it easily earns it 4-star review.

Every HOWARD HEWITT fan will be pleased with this greatest hits package. HEWITT has long been one of the most underrated soul singers of the last 25 years (El DeBarge,Jeffery Osborne,and James Ingram are others). With this package,the listener gets EVERY hit that HOWARD HEWITT has had as a solo artist with the exeption of a few. From his first solo hit "I'M FOR REAL" to more recent hits like "SHOW ME" and "WHEN WILL IT BE"(feat. ANITA BAKER), the listener is taken back to a time when MALE singers put a little bit of thought and feeling into their lyrics and music. For the exception of a few, (MAXWELL, KENNY LATTIMORE, BRIAN MCKNIGHT, etc.) there aren't many male singers that sing with as much feeling AND have a unique voice the way that HOWARD HEWITT does. When you hear the old school bump and grind slow jam vibe of "ONCE,TWICE,THREE TIMES" from his second solo album "FOREVER AND EVER" you'll know what I mean. There are also some bonuses on this cd. The rare and hard to find cover of THE EAGLES "I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY" (Which was featured on the ELEKTRA 40th anniversary album "RUBAIYAT" which is out of print), and two hits from his SHALAMAR days "THIS IS FOR THE LOVER IN YOU" and "SOMEWHERE THERE'S A LOVE". The only disappointment is that his cover of AVERAGE WHITE BAND's "A LOVE OF YOUR OWN" and two other minor hits from his last cd (1994's "IT'S TIME")like "THIS LOVE IS FOREVER" and "I WANNA KNOW YOU" aren't included in this greatest hits package. People that appreciate smooth,thought-out, love songs will love this album. All HOWARD HEWITT fans should rejoice.

Excellent, Excellent, what can I possible say about Howard Hewett!"""""""" I love this man, and his music, unbelieveable, heaven sent. God knew exactly what he was doing when he created Howard. If you are a true Howard Hewett fan, or if you would like to be, purchase this CD and his others for yourself. Listen to it, the music speaks for itself.

I have been following Howard and a fan of whatever he has brought to album or CD since his arrival on the music scene with Shalamar on the album Big Fun. Just as the other reviewers stated, double H is one of the most underrated male soul singers of all time. I would have loved for them to add Your Body Needs Healing to this compilation from his CD It's Time or a cut he done with the Rippingtons called Heaven. So much for the nitpicking for one thing about it, compilations will never have everything everyone wants. With that in mind, it was nice to see that the alluring song Somewhere There's A Love (Just for Me) from Shalamar's Three for Love album, one of the most overlooked ballads ever. The problem with the song was that it was on the same album as the all-time classic This Is For the Lover in You. One thing all buyers of the CD should do is read the liner notes to get an insight into what made HH who he was. Some of the interesting information from the liner notes include HH and his sisters in a gospel choir whose chief rivals was another group from Ohio led by James Ingram, whose brother Phillip, sang with Switch (I Call Your Name, There'll Never Be) and led their song I Wanna Be Closer. I am so much a fan of HH that with all of the albums I bought back in the day and have made a total switch to CD, I still have all my Shalamar albums with HH singing with the group. By the way, he did release a live compilation album recently called Intimate. Voices like HH comes once in a lifetime and I am glad I am old enough to know good music. With all of this said, GO GET THE CD!!!!

Howard Hewett belongs in the same class as Patrice Rushen, Deneice Williams, Miki Howard, or Stacy Lattisaw. These are all artists who got a little bit of glory, but not nearly what their immense talent deserves. While Hewitt deserves props for including songs like I'm For Real, Strange Relationship, and especially When Will It Be, look at what's left out. I happen to have the Forever and Ever CD, which I've heard is very rare. After hearing a track called 'This Time' I couldn't help but wonder how such an alluring song could be excluded from a compilation album. I also have the self-titled album from which the song 'If I Could only have that day back.' The song after it, 'Let Me Show You how to Fall in Love' is in my humble opinion, five times better than some of the songs that were inculded. The last song on the track, Jesus, is one that I think is more powerful than its 1986 contemporary, Say Amen. I could think of about seven songs he excluded that I liked better than the ones that do appear on the Best of Howard Hewett. However, if I can't get your hands on these wonderful albums, get the Best Of. You won't be disappointed.

If the initials of Howard Hewett were HAT it would clearly stand for "Hidden American Treasure" which he is.I have followed the career of HH since the days of Shalamar and I find
HH to be one of the Top Ten artist in current times. The unique and gifted appeal of HH is his ability to sing as a complete group, his range is expansive. Moreover he sings from his soul with a depth that resonates back to his own soul producing a sound that the hearer never forgets. C.E. in CHI Town.....

Howard Hewett has always been one of my favorite artists. He was clearly the "voice" when he was with the group Shalamar. This CD contains the best of his voice while with that group, as well as those songs he recorded when he went solo. Pure Howard!

I have been a fan of Howard Hewett since I was a preteen. I am so happy to have a CD of Mr. Hewett's work from his days in Shalamar and solo career.

R&B truly is missing out on the balladeers like Mr. Hewett. I won't be sharing this CD with any of my friends and family!!!

Don't sleep on this CD if you remember R&B from back in the day!

This is a great collection from one of the greats of soul, ballads and R&B genre. It is exactly what it says: The Very Best. Howard Hewett is just FANTASTIC!!!

Howard Hewett has always enjoyed a loyal cult following among fans and devotees of romantic Soul music but he never scored any major crossover Pop hit (which is shameful when you consider how immensely talented a singer-songwriter he is). This 16-track collection includes his classic ballads "Stay", "I Commit To Love", "I'm For Real", "Can We Try Again" and "Show Me" as well as several album-only tracks. A very fine musical portrait from one of the 1980s and '90s best and smoothest balladeers.