Gladys Knight & The Pips - Nitty Gritty (1969/2018)

Though Gladys Knight questioned the wisdom of singing on with Motown in the mid-'60s, their tenure transformed them into consistant hitmakers. One of the reasons was their association with writer/producer Norman Whitfield, whose grittier, funkier style proved to be a key to Motown's counterattack to the rawer soul sounds that emerged in the latter part of the decade. A tough, funky reworking of Shirley Ellis's "The Nitty Gritty" and the social-consicousness classic "Friendship Train" gave them a pair of Top 20 pop hits in 1969, and they anchor this sturdy collection of fine soul and R&B tracks.