The Very Best of Freddie Jackson: Classic Freddie

An accomplished R&B singer with a wide range for material but surprisingly little success on the pop charts, Freddie Jackson has been well-served in the compilation realm; he averaged nearly one best-of every year in the decade after his last appearance in the R&B Top 40 in 1995. Disky's Very Best of Classic Freddie is a solid volume, one which only loses its luster because of a few crucial omissions and the strength of other available compilations. Included early on are his two earliest (and biggest) successes on the pop charts, 1985's nearly Top Ten "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)" and "You Are My Lady." Rather than foreshadowing greater crossover glory, Jackson only reached the pop Top 40 twice more, with "He'll Never Love You (Like I Do)" and "Jam Tonight" (neither of which appear here). The disc does pick up nearly all of his R&B number ones -- "Have You Ever Loved Somebody," "Nice 'n' Slow," "Do Me Again" -- and gives prominent place to the pair of covers Jackson recorded as tributes to his Philly soul influences, "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Billy Paul) and "If You Don't Know Me by Now" (Teddy Pendergrass with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes). One R&B number one ("Hey Lover") is missing in action, leaving The Very Best of Classic Freddie as a compilation that may not deliver on the claim of its title, but a solid hits collection for a great voice of '80s soul. ~ John Bush