The title track on Pain in My Heart (1965) set the pattern for all his ballads to come–Otis triumphed at rendering agony. Signs of the singer’s virtuosity are already apparent in the almost teasing way he lingers over some lyrics and spits out others; virtually never would he sing a line the ... 

 With Otis Blue, he achieved his first masterwork. “Respect” becomes not only a soul standard but also a black pride anthem; “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (to Stop Now)” may be Otis’ strongest ballad; the assertiveness of B.B. King’s “Rock Me Baby” and Sam Cooke’s “Shake” ... 

 “Chain Gang” and the moody swing of “Cigarettes and Coffee” highlight The Soul Album; In Person at the Whisky-a-GoGo is dependably intense; and by the time of Dictionary of Soul, Otis had arrived at another plateau. “Try a Little Tenderness,” first recorded by Bing Crosby, is Stax/Vol... 

 “Chain Gang” and the moody swing of “Cigarettes and Coffee” highlight The Soul Album; In Person at the Whisky-a-GoGo is dependably intense; and by the time of Dictionary of Soul, Otis had arrived at another plateau. “Try a Little Tenderness,” first recorded by Bing Crosby, is Stax/Vol... 

 “Chain Gang” and the moody swing of “Cigarettes and Coffee” highlight The Soul Album; In Person at the Whisky-a-GoGo is dependably intense; and by the time of Dictionary of Soul, Otis had arrived at another plateau. “Try a Little Tenderness,” first recorded by Bing Crosby, is Stax/Vol... 

 Of the many live sets, the best are Live in Europe, In Person at the Whisky-a-Go-Go, and Live in London & Paris, which paris a raucous London set with a Paris gig long on ballads–and also tosses in covers of “Satisfaction” and the Beatles’ “Day Tripper.”  

 By 1967, the singer had reached a point of such assurance that he seemed ripe for even more ranging explorations of style and new shifts in tone. But even his record company didn’t quite know what to do with the latest product of his impatient creativity–the soft, acoustic-guitar ballad “(S... 

 From King & Queen, his duet with Carla Thomas, “Tramp,” offers a rare display of Otis’ sassy humor; their cover of Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd’s “Knock on Wood” is almost assaultive in its drive.  

 The Very Best of Otis Redding is a two-disc best-of, but if you can spring for Rhino’s Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding, by all means do so. A lovingly annotated four-CD box set, it compiles all of the singles and essential album tracks, culminating with an entire disc of various live performa... 

 The Very Best of Otis Redding is a two-disc best-of, but if you can spring for Rhino’s Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding, by all means do so.  

 Of the many live sets, the best are Live in Europe, In Person at the Whisky-a-Go-Go, and Live in London & Paris, which paris a raucous London set with a Paris gig long on ballads–and also tosses in covers of “Satisfaction” and the Beatles’ “Day Tripper.”