Sam & Dave - Definitive Soul: Sam & Dave (2007)

Rhino released a terrific double-disc Sam & Dave collection in 1993. Called Sweat 'n' Soul, it weighed in at a generous 50 tracks and contained all of the duo's hits, plus a couple of Sam Moore solo singles and a bunch of lesser-known gems that helped prove the depth of their body of work. Following some 13 years later, 2006's Definitive Soul Collection isn't nearly as comprehensive or definitive as Sweat 'n' Soul. It's a good 20 tracks slimmer for one thing, nor is it as far-ranging in its scope or as attractively packaged, for that matter. But while The Definitive Collection pales when judged against its stellar predecessor, taken on its own terms, it's quite a good compilation, containing all of the duo's biggest songs -- "A Place Nobody Can Find," "You Don't Know Like I Know," "Hold On! I'm Comin'," "You Got Me Hummin'," "I Thank You," "Wrap It Up," and "Soul Man" -- along with a good sampling of the best of the rest. Sweat 'n' Soul may be the first choice for anybody looking for a double-disc set, but if that's hard to find, this is a good substitute. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine