Customer Reviews

The Very Best of Lou Rawls: You'll Never Find Another

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Like his friend and contemporary Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls began his musical career in gospel but was just as comfortable with R&B, pop and even jazz. His first solo hit was with Capitol Records when "Love is a Hurtin' Thing" (#13, pop; #1, R&B) in 1966. He continued to have hits through the mid-Seventies when he switched labels to Philadelphia International where he scored a No. 2 hit hit with the million-selling "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" in 1976 under the guidance of producer/songwriters Gamble & Huff.

Rawls was a multiple Grammy winner and all of his Top 40 hits are here, including R&B hits like "Groovy People" and "See You When I Get There." Also included is a funky arrangement of Sam Cooke's "Bring It on Home." [Note: Rawls sang backup on Cooke's original hit version.] This 21-track collection is a thoroughly satsifying look at a performer who needs to be remembered by a wider audience. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I saw this CD recently in stores and went, If this album doesn't have Let Me Be Good To You, I'm passing on it! Finally, they got it right--it is on here! Every other Lou Rawls compilation failed to include this song. While most of us remembers Lou's late 70s era of hits like You'll Never Find, this album heavily focuses on his earlier hits from the '60s and early 70s like Love Is A Hurtin' Thing, Dead End Street, A Natural Man, Bring it On Home and Show Business. As much as I like Lady Love, I can't BELIEVE that it peaked at #21 R&B and #24 pop in 1977-1978! Maybe their minds were too much onto Donna Summer, the Bee Gees,Barry Manilow, Gloria Gaynor and others that year than on this wonderful, lush classic by Rawls. It should have been No. 1 just like You'll Never did. You'll Never Find from 1976 is still a classic to many people, but I have to give the upper hand to 1979's Let Me Good to You. Track 20 of this CD is a fine representation of Lou's classic style, his familiar raps in his songs as he invites a woman to his place for a night together. And his smooth baritone style sounds so good over the rattling percussion going through the song. See You When I Get There sounds too much like a faster bridge of Teddy Pendergrass' Come Go With Me and some of the O'Jays '70s songs--maybe Gamble and Huff had too many identical songs in the studio at the time. But Rawls' stamp on it avoids all derivative comparisons. Lou Rawls passed away in January, but his music will live on for many eras and generations to come. He was a wonderful performer, philanthropist, commercial pitchman and singer in the 5 decades that he entertained audiences.

As his good friend Billy Vera points out in the liner notes, Lou Rawls never ever sang silly love songs. No sir! From the very beginning Lou Rawls sang about serious, adult subjects. And you could feel the emotion and the personal experience dripping in just about every tune the man ever sang. Finally, Capitol records has seen fit to release a single disc anthology befitting of this marvelous talent. "The Very Best of Lou Rawls: You'll Never Find Another" offers the listener a compehensive compilation of practically all of Lou's single hit recordings from his debut single "Love's A Hurtin' Thing" back in 1966 right on thru to his fabulous recording of "Let Me Be Good To You" in 1979. It is a disc that really was long overdue.

"The Very Best of Lou Rawls" features 21 splendid recordings and I can honestly report that there is not a weak track among them. It was certainly terrific to hear the remastered version of Lou's classic 1967 tune "Dead End Street" as well as his memorable 1972 smash "A Natural Man". And I had forgotten just how great his 1969 hit "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" really was. In the late 60's, while still at Capitol records, Lou also covered a couple of old favorites. While his renditions of "On Broadway" and "You've Made Me So Very Happy" were not huge sellers they are highly entertaining nonetheless. Both are included here. I was also extremely pleased to see that the 1967 single "Show Business" was included as well. I had not heard that outstanding tune in nearly 40 years.

"The Very Best of Lou Rawls" concludes with a half dozen tunes from his highly successful days at Leon Huff and Kenny Gamble's Philadelphia International records. His very first recording for that label would prove to be his biggest hit ever, 1976's "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine". And who can ever forget "Lady Love" or "See You When I Git There" from 1977. Also included in this anthology is an incredible "live" recording of "The Shadow of Your Smile" from his 1966 "LIVE!" LP. Great stuff!

"The Very Best of Lou Rawls: You'll Never Find Another" comes with a well thought out 12 page booket that includes information on each of the tracks as well as liner notes lovingly written by the aforementioned Billy Vera. I am also pleased to report that the 24 bit remastering job is superb. We only see the likes of Lou Rawls about once per generation. Lou Rawls carried on in the tradition of great male vocalists like Billy Ecksine, Al Hibbler, Jimmy Ricks and Nat King Cole. His untimely death in January 2006 leaves a major void on the American music scene. "The Very Best of Lou Rawls" is a great way to keep his music alive. Very highly recommended!

While I'm in my late-20s, I'm aware of the late, great Lou Rawls. 1st because of his 70s disco recordings as well as the songs he sings on the Garfield specials I used to watch as a child. But it's his work with the United Nergo College Fund that comes to my mind when I think of him.

6 months after his passing, Capitol Records released a greatest hits of his soul recordings (for those wanting a collection of him singing jazz & blues standards, there's "The Best of Lou Rawls: The Capitol Jazz & Blues Sessions") I like 20 of the 21 songs featured. EMI should give praised for adding Rawls' Grammy-winning song "Natural Man" for records companies don't like to license songs from another label.

While I don't care for Rawls' take of "The Shadow of Your Smile" (great standard, but I just don't like his version of it), I love the rest of the disc. What I liked about these songs is that they're about adult issues. Something that our modern-day youth obsessed culture can't deal with. Of these songs, there's 5 that I enjoy listening to the most:

Street Corner Hustler's Blues/World of Trouble: From his 1966 LIVE LP. I love the story Rawls tells of a street hustler before sliding into "World of Trouble" At times funny.

You've Made Me So Very Happy: Very Motownish. Love the chorus line at the end.

Breaking My Back (Instead of Using My Mind): Sings about going to a job that he hates. Most of us who have jobs we don't like can relate to this.

Show Business: Songs about the realities of show business, that not everybody makes it. The lyrics were truthful then, as they are 40 years after Rawls first penned them.

Let Me Be Good to You: Sings about treating a lady who's been in a bad relationship well (without sounding nor being too sexual, an issue I've seen in a lot a modern-day R&B).

This disc also comes with very colorful liner notes in booklet form. You get an interesting essay from Billy Vera (a close friend of Rawls), photos as well as music chart info on the songs. If you want good R&B & don't care that it's from the 1960s-1970s, you'll enjoy this. Lou Rawls may be gone, but he won't be forgotten.

most of the songs were not the one Lou Rawls was famous to singing- there were too many jazz songs- I would prefer to hear a cd where lou rawls sang love songs.

You can't go wrong with Lou Rawls! Listening to Lou Rawls is like listening to Frank Sinatra with a few extra blue notes thrown in for free.

My son is 12 and somehow stuck in the 70's. I ordered this CD for him and he loves it! :)

He still is my all time favorite sound. Nobody can replace that Lou Rawls' vocal quality.

This is a wonderful, much-needed anthology. Especially enjoyable are the live tracks, which shows Lou Rawls as a consummate entertainer, on the same par with Sinatra and other "Rat Pack" vocalists.

What is puzzling, however, is the omission of track #4 "Natural Man" which is on the CD, but is not featured here. Nor is it to be found over at the iTunes Music Store. Both the Amazon and iTunes download version have 20 tracks; the CD 21.

This leads me to surmise there may have been a rights problem of some kind. If anyone knows what's up with this, I'd love to know!

I did get the two songs I wanted on the CD, but am a little dissapointed in the other songs since I had not heard a lot of them. Fairly satisfied. Thanks