More generous than the 20-track
The Very Best Of
,
Essential Bill Withers
is a 34-track anthology that features all of
Withers
' notable singles, along with other highlights from the singer's albums for the
Sussex
and
Columbia
labels, from 1971's
Just as I Am
through 1985's
Watching You Watching Me
. This is a fine and extensive introduction to
' catalog, featuring "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lean on Me," "Use Me," "Lovely Day," and "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh." He also recorded scads of excellent deep album cuts that could not fit. In 2013, the lovingly packaged
The Complete Sussex and Columbia Albums Collection
-- released the previous year -- retailed for roughly three times the price of this set. Anyone with a serious interest in
' work should seriously consider that option, though it doesn't contain "Just the Two of Us," the big hit from
Grover Washington, Jr.
's
Winelight
album. ~ Andy Kellman