Customer Reviews

Wot's It to Ya: Best of

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The only reason I give this album 4 stars and not 5 is that the record company passed up sparkling, technically intricate, highly original songs like "Paradise", "Love and Money", and "Going Through the Motions", in favor of the cover tunes "Tell Me Something Good" and "Getting Better". Not a smart trade to offer Nevil fans.

All this aside, listen up. For those who didn't clue in to Nevil's musical genius in the 80s, this album is the only shot you get at hearing tracks from his 3 CD releases.("Robbie Nevil", "A Place Like This" and "Day 1". Each CD is better than the last, and out of print.)

Nevil's best-known pop hit "C'est La Vie" wasn't the man's best work by a long shot. His talent runs DEEP. Check out the acoustic guitar on "Somebody Like You", his vocal slip'n'slide and ferocious electric riffs on "For Your Mind", the fiery soulfulness of "Look Who's Alone Tonight", the playfulness of "Mary Lou". Nevil left pop music behind for broader horizons, and hearing these tracks, it's easy to see why. (The full story of Nevil's continuing career shows up in the liner notes.)

This isn't your ordinary pop music: it's peppered with funk and drenched in soul. Nevil's vocal and musical ability is extraordinary: he's got a three-octave range and fire in his throat, and his funkier rhythms twist and slide so much you'll swear he's playing guitar with a live eel instead of a pick. He plays with originality, guts, and joy, jumping all over the syncopation and the tricky rhythms, but never losing control over where the music's headed.

To summarize, it's almost everything a Greatest Hits album should be: the sharp stuff that true fans are hip to, the summer radio hits that so many people boogied to in the 80s, a couple of tracks you can't get on the LP releases, and a little commentary and biography to let us know how it all turned out.

Recommend for Nevil fans and newbies alike. Check it out.

Robbie Nevil should have amounted to more than he did. I have all three of his cds: Robbie Nevil (1986), A Place Like This (1988) and Day 1 (1991). All three are strong both in musicianship and songwriting craft. Robbie Nevil also has the greatest soul singing voice next to Daryl Hall for a white guy. It's a shame that the record company or Robbie didn't want to continue. This best of collection is a very good snapshot of his career, and it's the only thing non-fans will have since all three of his cds are out of print. Even Richard Marx's cds are still in print! This compilation includes all of Robbie's American hits like "C'est La Vie", "Dominoes", "Wot's It To Ya", "Back On Holiday", "Who Needs Somebody Like You" and "Just Like You." This is a must have for any rock collector.

I have Robbie's first album "Robbie Nevil" which I bought back in 1987. I love his music so much! It is so good to see all his best hits on one CD. Most of his stuff is long out of print, so this is the only way to get those songs. My favorite from him is "Dominoes" and "Wot's It To Ya".

Great voice
Great music
If someone likes the 80's
but wants something more serious,
loves funk,soul and
is able to appreciate
a great music production,
well,he should check this out.
I can't say I'm a huge 80's fun,
that's for sure.But I loved R.N.

If your looking into adding to your 80's song collection, this CD is a must. Although many may never have heard of Robbie Nevil by name, his music is the one thing that does stand out. "C'est La Vie" being his biggest hit. Good to see all his best work on one album. ENJOY!

With his biggest song "C'est La Vie" already on a few compilation cd's, it's great that his other hits have finally been put out on one album. In addition to "C'est La Vie", other greats songs include "Dominoes","Wot's It To Ya" and a song I like the best off of this cd "Back On Holiday". Great collection.

I grew up listening to Robbie Nevil. My husband and I spent 5 months on vacation driving across the U.S. earlier this year listening to Robbie Nevil's "Day 1" CD. I thing my husband got sick of it, but I was in pure heaven listening to such great music. I can say I'm truly happy now that I have "Wot's it to ya: the Best of Robbie Nevil" and don't need any other artist's music. I'm just shocked that he didn't come out with more CDs or catch on with more people like Journey and the Eagles. ROBBIE NEVIL RULES!!!

i first heard robbie when i was 14 and i thought he had a great
voice and he wasn't bad on the eyes either. my favorite song by
him was "c'est la vie" when i saw that video i fell madly in love with him and his beautiful voice. i heard "wot's it to ya"
before on the radio and i didn't know it was him but know that i
know it's him i love it even more. i was sad to hear that his albums aren't sold any more because i think people are missing out on this great talented artist. i think stores should sell him again because people have to hear this guy sing he is the best.

I had Robbie's debut album and really liked it. In fact, I still play it from time to time. I knew he later released a song called "Just Like You," which in my opinion was one of the best songs getting airplay in the summer of 91. Then something happened. Oh yeah, the temporary takeover of Hip-Hop and grunge. Nevil was never heard from again. What this album did for me was took me back in time. A nice, fun album with a lot of strong, creative selections. It was hard to get all the way through it, because I kept playing certain songs I really liked over and over, but I finally finished it. Well worth the price. Hopefully this album will remind people who he is, and it will bring back his recording career.

This is filled with great songs from one of the most underappreciated artists of the past 10 years. I especially like "Dominoes", "Wot's it To Ya", "Somebody Like You", "Just like you', and "Look Who's Alone Tonight".