Soul Classics, Volume 5

Highlights include an eleven-minute version of Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up," Evelyn "Champagne" King's "Shame" and King Floyd's "Groove Me."

Though it's shorter than most of the volumes in the series, oddly enough Soul Classics, Vol. 5 offers a more diverse range of sounds, spanning upbeat soul like King Floyd's "Groove Me," danceable tracks such as Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give it Up." and KC & the Sunshine Band's "I Get Lifted," as well as smoother tracks like Mandrill's "You Can Get It (Suzie Caesar)." Though the album's cuts, which include work by Leon Huff and Archie Bell & the Drells, are pretty solid, the collection's overall length is too short to recommend it to anyone but the most casual fans of classic soul. ~ Heather Phares