Mercy (2000)

With Jazz Loves Marvin Gaye, Universal has assembled a very solid jazz celebration of Gaye's work from their very own library of labels taken from recordings from the 1970s through the beginning of the new century. Highlights on this 11-track collection are numerous, though there aren’t any duds in the mix. The set opens with one of the highlights in Quincy Jones' reading of “What’s Going On.” Add to this the two now legendary Grover Washington Jr. performances of Gaye's tunes “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and the sublime, nearly 16-minute “Trouble Man,” Fred Wesley's “You Sure Love to Ball,” and Gato Barbieri's expansive Latin funk take on “I Want You”…

For the compilers of Time-Life Music's Singers & Songwriters series, which – more or less – chronicles the 1970s singer/songwriter movement, the 24-month period 1970-1971 marked the real birth of that trend, with the popular emergence of such defining figures as James Taylor, Carole King, Carly Simon, John Denver, and Cat Stevens, all of whom had their first big hits in the style included here.

The first two Rhino doo wop box sets were straightforward anthologies of the best music in the style, concentrating on big and small hits and the best overlooked rarities. The third installment is also a worthy chunk of the genre's better moments, yet it is definitely a notch or two below its predecessors. Part of the reason is that, as many doo wop records as there were, the lion's share of the great hits were already used up on the first two boxes.

Once again, Chesky does it right….this album is absolutely wonderful. Great voice…sexy, sultry, presented with Chesky's usual technical perfection. The music here is Jazz standard, with some numbers, of course, better known than others. Christy has a perfect voice for this material, and uses it marvelously. Naturally, the instrumental back-up and recording technique are up to Chesky's usual high standard.