Hey sister go sister soul sister....

Patti LaBelle is one of those singers who have become an icon without being immensely popular at one time. Having just 2 #1 pop hits and 3 #1 R&B hits in the modern era isn't bad, but not on the level of divas like Whitney or Mariah. What makes Patti an icon/diva/whatever is a combo of longevity and just plain talent. No marketing (well, maybe the spacesuits of Labelle the group) and no straying from the R&B base have made LaBelle an old-school soul standby almost on the level of Aretha.

MCA's Greatest Hits, put out in '96, gathers in 16 songs from all 3 phases of Patti's career: the Ross-like leader of the Bluebelles, the commander of space-funk troupe LaBelle, and her solo progression from the 80's to the beginning of the 90's. Admittedly the set could have used a couple more songs from the Bluebelles period, only putting in her over-the-top rendition of "Over The Rainbow" which would obviously inspire Sam Harris more than Judy Garland did. (Though their biggest "hit", "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman" wasn't even recorded by the group but by an act from another label). It would've been nice to see "Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)" or their version of Curtis Mayfield's "I'm Still Waiting" on here.

From here Greatest Hits gives a generous 4-song helping of LaBelle/the band tracks, with their two biggest singles ("Lady Marmalade" and "What Can I Do For You") and two strong album cuts (the earthy and funky "Moonshadow" and the dark-disco "Goin' On A Holiday"). "Lady Marmalade" is one of the few timeless "disco" songs that transcends disco since it's really not disco but rather a throwback to the New Orleans creole funk of Dr. John and Allen Toussaint. "What Can I Do For You" is more standard disco structure, much like the faceless band like Silver Convention, but with much, much stonger voices.

Patti's broke solo in 1977, but this CD starts that period with her first major success, the 1984 #1 R&B hit "If Only You Knew", one of the last big moments of the "Quiet Storm" soul period, before the utter wasteland that was R&B in the late 80s/early 90s. It's telling that it now sounds much less dated than her next two big pop hits from the movie Beverly Hills Cop, "New Attitude" and "Stir It Up", which are so 1985 it hurts and in the hands of probably any other singer (well maybe except Tina Turner) would be pretty much unlistenable now. Stripped of all soul in the production, Patti's soulful and earnest voice are the saving grace of these cookie-cutter "80s pop-movie songs". Speaking of movies, the next track up is the un-Bond-like song "If You Asked Me To" from Licensed To Kill, where Patti sings rings around Celine Dion's later (and more popular) version of the tune.

Labelle's foray into new-jack R&B comes in the awkward hit, "Feels Like Another One", with an execrable rap interlude by passing-rap-fancy Big Daddy Kane. Luckily the two latest singles in the set, "Somebody Loves You Baby" and "When You've Been Blessed" re-embrace the quiet storm period and her gospel roots, respectively. And stuck near the end somewhat out of chronological order is Patti's singles from her most successful and most pop album, Winner In You, the preachy-without-being-overpreachy "Oh People" and her greatest success, the duet "On My Own" with Michael McDonald. Normally these 80s "star" pairings are of no value but schlock, but with two amazing voices like Labelle's trills and McDonalds gruffy baritone make an inspired coupling to an otherwise everyday song.

There has been a gillion "Greatest hits" CDs of LaBelle's music, some giving two much (the 2-cd Gold) and some giving too little (The Millenium Collection's 12 songs) for the average listener. And without a single "classic" album to buy, MCA's Greatest Hits gives enough to prove Patti's place in the pantheon of soul divas, without having to shell out a lot of dough.

Grade: B+
Best Cuts: "Lady Marmalade", "If Only You Knew", "If You Asked Me To"
Weakest Link: "Feels Like Another One"

Greatest Hits made #58 on the R&B Albums chart.
"Lady Marmalade" hit #1 pop, #1 dance club, #1 R&B and #17 in the UK.
"What Can I Do For You" hit #48 pop, #1 dance club, and #8 R&B.
"If Only You Knew" made #46 pop, #1 R&B.
"Love Need & Want You" made #10 R&B.
"New Attitude" hit #17 pop, #1 dance club, and #3 R&B.
"Stir It Up" hit #41 pop, #18 dance club, and #5 R&B.
"Kiss Away The Pain" made #13 R&B.
"If You Asked Me To" made #79 pop, #11 Adult Contemporary, and #10 R&B.
"Feels Like Another One" hit #3 R&B, and #17 dance club.
"Somebody Loves You Baby" hit #2 on the R&B chart.
"On My Own" made #1 pop, #2 adult contemporary, #1 R&B, and #2 in the UK.
"Oh People" made #29 pop, #7 R&B, and #26 in the UK.
"When You've Been Blessed" hit #4 R&B



And a Youtube bonus, a TV appearance by Patti with the Bluebelles singing "Over The Rainbow" (check out the funky green outfits!)