The Sampled series certainly isn't the first to assemble a batch of original recordings later plumbed and plundered to create the foundations of latter-day hip-hop and dance tracks, but it's one of the best, going far beyond the same oft-compiled James Brown/George Clinton cuts, and into far more eclectic and esoteric territory. The fun of sets like this one is hearing a given beat or break, and experiencing that moment of recognition when music's past and present merge -- likewise, it's equally entertaining to imagine the creative process that results in artists as unlikely as Engelbert Humperdinck ("From Here to Eternity"), Chris Rea ("Josephine") and the Dream Academy ("Life in a Northern Town") reborn as grist for the sampling mill. The end result is a far-ranging, if uneven, two-disc collection of radio hits and rare grooves that are instantly familiar, even if you've never heard them before -- highlights include Gwen McCrae's "All This Love I'm Giving," Bill Withers' "I Can't Write Left-Handed," and Grant Green's "Sookie Sookie." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide