Drawn from
Curtis' peak during the late '50s and '60s, this collection, while diverse, is shaky at best. It contains none of his most familiar soul and R&B hits (although an early run-through of "Memphis Soul Stew" is included), and is a prime example of how record producers of the era (in this case, Atlantic Records co-founder Herb Abramson) would surround great players like
Curtis with sub-par singers, session men and material. As a result,
Curtis' excellent sax playing wound up sharing grooves with a one-note, 20-second guitar solo on "Soul Groove Part II," or cutting songs like Jimmy Breedlove's "Don't Be Cruel" rehash "Jealous Fool" -- hardly material fit for
King. ~ Jason Ankeny