LL Cool J ICON (EX)

Photographer: Lynn Goldsmith.
LL Cool J's Icon covers seven albums -- 1985's Radio through 1997's Phenomenon. Like the dozens of other Icon releases from Universal, it features only ten tracks and therefore doesn't come close to gathering all the highlights. No LL Cool J anthology is complete without "I'm Bad" or "The Boomin' System" -- and some might say the same thing about the early ballad "I Need Love," a Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart topper -- but most of what's here is essential, including hardcore classics "Rock the Bells," "I Can't Live Without My Radio," and "Mama Said Knock You Out," along with the smoother likes of "Around the Way Girl" and "Going Back to Cali." As of 2012, All World: Greatest Hits remained the best single-disc LL compilation. ~ Andy Kellman

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop