Marvin Gaye | ICON (2CD) | CD

Marvin Gaye was one of those artists who could sing a grocery list and make it sound soulful, balanced, and brilliant, and his hushed, nuanced vocal work in the recording studio is always a marvel -- he knew how to work a studio mike for shading and feel like few others could. This double-disc compilation has several of his best tracks from all parts of his career, including the early hits "Pride and Joy," "Ain't That Peculiar," "Hitch Hike," and "I'll Be Doggone," the iconic and still quite stunning "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," the wise, elegant, and majestic "What's Going On," the dancefloor favorite "Got to Give It Up," the definitively sexy "Let's Get It On," and the hushed, jazzy gem "Trouble Man," among other essentials. Gaye's catalog obviously includes a lot more great tracks, and this is just a good taste of what's there, but any Marvin Gaye beats no Marvin Gaye, and you can never really go wrong with this guy. ~ Steve Leggett

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop
• Released: 8/31/2010
• Released: 08/31/2010