Sexy Ways: The Best Of Hank Ballard & The...

Hank Ballard saw one of his songs, "The Twist," turned into a craze by an R&B singer without soul; saw his style expanded by singers like James Brown and Clyde McPhatter without much recognition; saw his joyously risque mentality become the norm in rock & roll and R&B; but he never had the fame he was due. Sure, he had hits and is well-known among most serious R&B/soul fans, but that stops just short of the iconic status that he deserves. And if any collection makes a case for his greatness, it's the superb 20-track overview Sexy Ways: The Best of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, released on Rhino in 1993. Over the course of 20 tracks, the best of Ballard's singles for Federal and King, including one cut with the Royals, are unveiled; and years later his music still sounds exuberant, salacious, impassioned, and irresistible -- among the best '50s R&B has to offer. It's a bit of a shock to hear what a carnal punch this music still packs, decades after it was recorded. It's not just the clear sexuality of "Work With Me Annie"; "Sexy Ways"; "Annie's Aunt Fannie"; or "Look at Little Sister;" (the latter effectively cut by Stevie Ray Vaughan); but even "The Twist" is charged and vibrant with sensuality, something Chubby Checker's bland remake ignored. There is an undercurrent throughout these dance songs -- and it's irresistible -- but what is more stunning is the consistently brilliant songwriting, and perhaps the impassioned performances. Either way, this is brilliant, timeless music, transcending the pigeonhole of great '50s R&B to stand among some of the great pop music of the 20th century . ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine