Gene Chandler - Duke of Soul: The Brunswick Years (2015)

Edsel's 20-track summation of Gene Chandler's short career at Brunswick Records (1966 through 1969) hits all of the obvious high points: "Nothing Can Stop Me," "(Gonna Be) Good Times," "Here Comes the Tears," "There Was a Time," "Those Were the Good Old Days," "Cowboys to Girls," and "You Can't Hurt Me No More." Perhaps wisely, the compilers completely bypassed his inferior final album for Brunswick, The Two Sides of Gene Chandler. Though there's still a lot of quality material from the period for which space didn't allow, Duke of Soul: The Brunswick Years is an excellent study of one of the most underrated soul singers of the '60s. (Since the two-disc set -- The Brunswick Years 1966-69, also known as The Girl Don't Care/There Was a Time/Two Sides of Gene Chandler -- includes all three of Chandler's original Brunswick LPs, and can be found at a relatively inexpensive price, some listeners may find it worthwhile to bypass this greatest-hits volume and spring for the complete set instead.)