Barbara McNair is certainly not the only singer to get lost in the shuffle at Motown at the company's mid-'60s zenith, but her tenure there seemed particularly star-crossed – as this 48-track Ultimate Motown Collection illustrates, much of her finest material was inexplicably withheld from release (in particular the much-bootlegged Northern soul classic "Baby a Go-Go"), while official singles like "My World Is Empty Without You" were issued in the wake of existing hit renditions by other Motown artists. But McNair boasted a genuinely sophisticated, sexy style that was unique in the Motown canon, and her voice – though by no means a powerhouse – is nevertheless stronger and more affecting than Diana Ross, whose hand-me-downs she often received. Compiling her full-lengths Here I Am and The Real Barbara McNair, the unreleased Barbara McNair Sings Smokey, non-LP singles, and rare vault material, this two-disc set finally pays McNair the respect she's always deserved – complete with informative liner notes and excellent sound, it's tough to imagine a better representation of her music.

A monster album, the one that put them back in the spotlight and signaled that Norman Whitfield had saved the day. Damon Harris had replaced Eddie Kendricks, and there were many doubters convinced the band was finished. Instead, Whitfield revitalized them via the majestic single, "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." Despite its length, Whitfield's decision to open with an extensive, multi-layered musical suite and tease listeners was a master stroke. By the time Dennis Edwards' voice came rushing in, no one would dare turn it off. The single, as well as "Law of the Land" and others, ended the funeral arrangements that had been prepared for the Temptations. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

The Great David Ruffin: The Motown Solo Albums, released in 2004, reissued the Temptations vocalist's first four albums in one package. Limited to 5,000 CD copies, the set eventually sold out, but the Real Gone label re-circulated the albums in 2014 with a couple two-for-one packages. This is the first of the pair, which contains My Whole World Ended and Feelin' Good. The albums were released during 1969, within six months of one another, and fared well – the debut, one of Ruffin's best releases, topped Billboard's R&B albums chart, while the unsurprisingly weaker follow-up peaked at number nine. Among the solid, less-recognized gems here are the stirring "Loving You (Is Hurting Me)," the R&B Top 20 wailer "I'm So Glad I Fell for You," and a muscular version of Dave Mason's (Traffic) "Feeling Alright." There are no bonus tracks.