Very Best Of Norman Connors, The

Throughout the latter half of the '70s and the early '80s, drummer Norman Connors was rather successful as a crossover solo artist who slowly shed his jazz roots to the point where he was making electronics-heavy, dancefloor-aimed R&B. He's often regarded as having been more skilled at assembling guest lineups than anything else, and by judging the roster of talent that adorned those records, it's hard to disagree with that observation. Connors never produced a bona fide masterpiece, but each album he released during the period covered by The Very Best of Norman Connors presented at least a handful of moments that ranged from good to phenomenal. This disc focuses on the cuts that impacted the black singles chart, while throwing in some choice album selections and a couple hits from Connors' brainchild, Aquarian Dream. It provides a good introduction to newcomers, but its selection is questionable with some of the non-singles. Despite this, it's one of the better anthologies of the man's work available. ~ Andy Kellman|