Sam Cooke THE SINGLES COLLECTION

Not Now Music's 2013 triple-disc set The Singles Collection follows no real rhyme or reason in its sequencing, opening with 1962's "Having a Party" and then hopscotching through the years, offering the As and Bs of Sam Cooke singles but neither in single nor chronological order. In other words, it's not really much use as a historical document but it does offer a wealth of great soul, it is entertaining, and it is affordable, offering a lot of prime Cooke for not much coin. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

• Genre: R&B
• Format: Vinyl