Featuring
Everett's breakout mid-'60s hits "You're No Good," "Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)," and "Let It Be Me" (a duet with
Jerry Butler), Vee-Jay's
The Very Best of Betty Everett offers a nice overview of the Mississippi native's emotive blend of soul-pop material from 1962 to 1965. With her powerful and at times vulnerable-sounding vocal delivery,
Everett also takes in
Van McCoy's soul gem "Getting Mighty Crowded," the '50s nostalgia cut "It Hurts to Be in Love," and a few more duets with
Butler, including fine covers of "Smile" (originally written by
Charlie Chaplin for his movie Modern Times!) and
Curtis Mayfield's "It's All Right." Showing her versatility (she would go on to cut a few country numbers in the early '70s),
Everett even offers up the straight pop ballad "Coming From You" and the big-band swinger "June Night"; considering her tenure in gospel choirs as a kid, time spent in Chicago honing her soul skills, and the almost certain fact that she listened to genre-straddling stars like
Dinah Washington and
Ray Charles, this seamlessly wide-ranging approach really comes as no surprise. A fine collection of songs, all unified by
Everett's incredible voice. And even though this collection is not available anymore, most of these numbers (sadly sans the
Butler duets) can be found on Collectables'
Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss).