Slave

The Definitive Groove Collection amounts, roughly, to a combination of two older Rhino compilations: 1994's Stellar Fungk: The Best of Slave and 2003's Party Lights: More of the Best. With a couple minor exceptions, it contains all of Slave's charting singles (such as "Slide," "Just a Touch of Love," and "Watching You") as well as several spectacular tracks that never hit the charts ("Party Lites," "Steal Your Heart," and "I'll Be Gone," just to name a handful). As with its predecessors, this two-disc set also contains some -- but not all -- of the notable material released by Steve Arrington and his Hall of Fame ("Feel So Real," "Dancin' in the Key of Life," "Way Out"). Covering all the bases with Slave and its various spinoffs (Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame, Aurra, Young & Company, Starleana) within two discs would be impossible, but this is the most comprehensive and helpfully annotated Slave anthology released to date. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide