Jimmy Hughes - The Best Of Jimmy Hughes (2008)

Though he's far from a household name, Jimmy Hughes retains legendary status in the world of soul music, as the artist whose single "Steal Away" kick-started the Fame label, putting the now-iconic Muscle Shoals sound on the map. With his distinctive, dripping-with-emotion vocal style, Hughes can be seen as one of the original Southern deep-soul wailers, and yet this this collection marks the first appearance on CD for many of these tunes. "Steal Away" is here of course, as are Hughes's other hits, "Neighbor, Neighbor" and "Why Not Tonight," but much of the material here will be a revelation to soul fans not intimately familiar with his output.