You're probably thinking to yourself that you need another '60s soul compilation series like you need a hole in the head, but the ten-volume, year-by-year retrospective Sweet Soul Music is different. For one thing, it's the follow-up to Bear Family's acclaimed R&B series Blowin' the Fuse, and it's packaged with all of the label's usual attention to detail -- the mastering is pristine (better than has ever been heard on even the major artists) and the accompanying booklets are authoritative (averaging 60 pages in length, stuffed with color photos, track-by-track commentary and related recording data). Moreover, each collection offers a complete portrait of the year in question, licensing tracks from the Motown, Atlantic, Stax, and Chess labels (among others) to create a true panoramic overview of soul music's epic scope and scale. The 1963 edition is as consistent and rewarding as the rest of the series, highlighted by classics including the Chiffons' "He's So Fine," Doris Troy's "Just One Look," and Martha & the Vandellas' "Heat Wave." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide