Photographers: Kwame Brathwaite; Chuck Stewart. Like other volumes in Universal's Playlist Plus series, this compilation is spread across three discs and is recommendable for anyone who doesn't want to stop with a well-chosen single- or double-disc James Brown anthology, which could only possibly cover a fraction of the Soul Brother Number One's most significant material. Containing 36 cuts -- including all of the number one black singles, from the late-'60s chart toppers "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," "Mother Popcorn," and "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" to the following decade's "Get on the Good Foot," "Super Bad," and "The Payback" -- the set will be more than enough to satisfy the newcomers. ~ Andy Kellman

• Genre: R&B
• Format: CD
• Released: 4/29/2008