Bobby Womack - The Very Best of Bobby Womack 1968-1975 (1991)

Bobby Womack - The Very Best of Bobby Womack 1968-1975 (1991) is a compilation album that captures some of the most iconic songs from Bobby Womack's career during the peak of his solo output in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Womack was a multifaceted artist—he was known for his emotive voice, his skill as a guitarist, and his ability to blend soul, R&B, and pop with a touch of gospel and funk.

Tracklist

1. I Can Understand It 4:06
2. Harry Hippie 3:49
3. I'm a Midnight Mover 2:04
4. What Is This? 2:34
5. Somebody Special 2:57
6. That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha 5:09
7. Communication 4:43
8. California Dreamin' 3:22
9. (If You Don't Want My Love) Give It Back 2:51
10. I Wish It Would Rain 4:20
11. Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out 2:56
12. Across 110th Street 3:51
13. If You Want My Love, Put Something Down on It 3:41
14. Lookin' for a Love 2:36
15. I Don't Wanna Be Hurt by Ya Love Again 3:24
16. Got to Get You Back 2:49
17. Woman's Gotta Have It 3:28
18. There's One Thing That Beats Failing 2:45
19. You're Messing Up a Good Thing 2:34
20. Love Ain't Something You Can Get for Free 3:23
Bobby Womack - The Very Best of Bobby Womack 1968-1975 (1991)

One of the better Bobby Womack anthologies around, The Very Best Of collects most of his biggest hits and most influential songs from the period (including his song for the film Across 110th Street) as well as the scathing "Harry Hippie" and the ballad "Woman's Gotta Have It." In fact, this actually serves as possibly the best single-disc collection of Womack, since it not only contains his biggest hits (excepting the work he did in the early '80s), but it's also much more concise and focused than the two-disc set Midnight Mover, and even has the edge over the single-disc collection Greatest Hits. What's more, this collection also contains several cuts, including the soulful "Got to Get You Back" and the funk-laden "There's One Thing That Beats Failing," that are not available on either of those. There may be some slight quibbles (and Womack's most famous composition, "It's All Over Now," falls out of the range of this collection, so it is not included), but as a sampler of Womack's work from his most productive period, The Very Best Of will please both newcomers and longtime fans.~Victor W. Valdivia