Jimmy Ruffin BEST OF/20TH CENTURY

Producers includes: James Dean, William Witherspoon, Norman Whitfield, Smokey Robinson, Frank Wilson.
Compilation producer: Harry Weinger.
Recorded between 1966 and 1970. Includes liner notes by Stu Hackel.
Digitally remastered by Jeff Willens (Universal Mastering Studios-East).
This is part of MCA's 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection series.
Liner Note Author: Stu Hackel.
Arrangers: Willie Shorter; Paul Riser; Tom Baird.
Most of the entries in Universal's 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection series function best as budget collections, perfect for listeners who'd rather not bother paying a few extra dollars for a longer collection. Things are far different for this volume, spotlighting Motown second-line act Jimmy Ruffin, who reached the pop charts several times during the late '60s but never had a solid CD compilation before this one. It certainly leads with the right track, his sole Top Ten entry, the beautiful Motown nugget "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." And since Ruffin only recorded a few LPs for the label, there's nothing major missing from this set and much that's good: the R&B hits "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby" and "I've Passed This Way Before," his 1970 cover of "Stand by Me" with brother David as a duet, and one of the best non-hits in Motown history, "As Long as There Is L-O-V-E Love." It's only 11 tracks, but with few other Jimmy Ruffin collections even in print, this is the one to get. ~ John Bush

• Format: CD
• Genre: R&B