Aaron Neville

"Tell It Like It Is," Aaron Neville's 1966 hit single, is arguably the greatest New Orleans R&B ballad ever, and Neville has every right to reprise the song at any and every opportunity. Unfortunately, a lot of what he recorded up to that point is fairly forgettable, which is why Tell It Like It Is seems to have less meat than filler. Still, the New Orleans flavor of its material at least seems a bit more genuine than the secondhand Memphis soul and imitation–Bacharach/David material included among the late-'60s singles on the obviously mistitled Greatest Hits (although that album, like Tell It Like It Is, takes care to include "Tell It Like It Is" and "Over You").

There's a different version of "Tell It Like It Is" on My Greatest Gift, but the bulk of these '70s-vintage tracks find Neville working with producer Allen Toussaint, a combination that produces memorably funky results on the likes of "Hercules" and "Mojo Hannah." Astonishingly, there isn't a version of "Tell It Like It Is" on Orchid in the Storm, but this 1985 ballad session (produced by Joel Dorn) does offer sterling renditions of oldies like the Johnny Ace hit "Pledging My Love" and Jerry Butler's "For Your Precious Love."

Yet it wasn't until Warm Your Heart -- produced by Linda Ronstadt, with whom he'd recorded a set of Grammy-winning duets in 1990 -- that Neville had his first Top 40 success since "Tell It Like It Is." Again, there are a fair number of oldies here, with "Everybody Plays the Fool" being the standout, but as the more contemporary sound of "Angola Bound" makes plain, Neville is not just an oldie, but a goodie. Casual fans should go straight to Hip-O's fine Ultimate Collection. (J.D. CONSIDINE)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide