O.V. Wright

The first volume of the two-disc set The Complete O.V. Wright on Hi Records concentrates on In the Studio, which means this is the stuff that hit the charts and the stuff that made the albums. Wright was one of the gutsiest vocalists on the tight, smooth, soulful Hi label, as this collection proves, and he often had material to match his talents, thanks to such fine songwriters as the Mitchell/Randle team. It is true that 30 tracks may be a bit much for a certain breed of listener, since there are some cuts that are merely good genre pieces, but for the soul aficionado, this is a welcome addition to the library. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi