Released on 1993 on A&M's subsidiary Light, this was the definitive
Andraé Crouch best-of. Light issued its own pair of exhaustive three-disc sets in 2002, and a more wieldy but still gargantuan triple-CD set called
Definitive Greatest Hits from Compendium came to the shelves. That said, since sound quality is not a factor, this single volume is a far better bet for one reason. While the pair of Light
Mega 3 collections put out virtually everything he recorded for the label, and the Compendium set offers all of
Crouch's stylistic transitions, what he will be remembered for most is his ability to blend true, dyed in the wool black gospel with modern smooth soul and hit the charts with an undiluted Christian message.
Crouch is a visionary in the same way Curtis Mayfield was; he used gospel as a way of attracting those outside the church in, and for those in the church to be able to relate to modern trends in African-American trends in popular music. What's more, it wasn't cynical. This collection offers virtually every major hit
Crouch laid down in the 1970s, the period of his greatest impact, and the renditions of these tunes are the authoritative and critically recognized ones all in one handy, economical, 20-track disc where all is killer and there is no filler. ~ Thom Jurek