All of the material
McKinley Mitchell cut for the small One-Derful label is on this 24-cut compilation, including everything he put on 1962-1964 singles for the company; LP-only items from the sole album he did for the label; three songs that didn't show up until they were issued on a Japanese LP; and two alternate takes. While
Mitchell may be a fairly minor '60s soul singer, within that category he's one of the better ones, combining more-melancholy-than-usual gospel-fire soul with shades of blues, jazz, and pop. Too, although he recorded until 1985, this is certainly his most significant work. While he does recall
Bobby "Blue" Bland on many of the sides, it's not in a blatantly imitative way. And if the arrangements likewise often look to popular trends in the early days of soul -- "Tell It Like It Is" is a little like early-'60s Motown, and "I Found an Angel" like
Sam Cooke -- they're very well done. His R&B hit ballad "The Town I Live In" is an obvious standout, but there are numerous other fine songs, like its B-side, "No Love (Like My Love)," on which he sounds rather like
Howlin' Wolf gone slightly soul-pop. "You're Not Gonna Break My Heart" is about as raw as early-'60s soul got, though a smoother, more
Bland-ish style was more typical for the singer. Sometimes the songs were too obviously derivative -- "Watch Over Me" of
the Miracles' "You Really Got a Hold on Me," for instance. But on the whole it's worthwhile stuff, from the era just before soul got codified into a more recognizable popular music style.