VA - Right On! Vol 4 (2002)

Say what you will about major labels, but in terms of sheer output, they make the catalogs of indies look about as deep as a wading pool. Accordingly, the fourth volume in the Right On! series is just as strong and consistent as the first, assembling still more original recordings from the Warner Bros. and Atlantic vaults that were later sliced and diced to create the foundations of latter-day hip-hop and dance tracks. And as on the first three entries in the series, the resulting compilation hangs together as a complete listening experience not because the songs are built on the kinds of funky beats, sinuous keyboards, and killer breaks that DJs love to reclaim but because each track is much more than just the sum of those parts. Best of all, a number of these cuts are making their digital-format debut -- and, presumably, there's still much more from where all of this came. Highlights include Clarence Reid's "It Was Good Enough for Daddy," Tami Lynn's "Mojo Hanna," King Curtis' "Ridin' Thumb (Jam)," and Eugene McDaniels' "Cherrystones."