My Whole World Ended

The Great David Ruffin: The Motown Solo Albums, released in 2004, reissued the Temptations vocalist's first four albums in one package. Limited to 5,000 CD copies, the set eventually sold out, but the Real Gone label re-circulated the albums in 2014 with a couple two-for-one packages. This is the first of the pair, which contains My Whole World Ended and Feelin' Good. The albums were released during 1969, within six months of one another, and fared well – the debut, one of Ruffin's best releases, topped Billboard's R&B albums chart, while the unsurprisingly weaker follow-up peaked at number nine. Among the solid, less-recognized gems here are the stirring "Loving You (Is Hurting Me)," the R&B Top 20 wailer "I'm So Glad I Fell for You," and a muscular version of Dave Mason's (Traffic) "Feeling Alright." There are no bonus tracks.

The Spinners' 2nd Time Around (1970) was actually their debut long-player for the short-lived V.I.P. subsidiary of Motown Records. The "Second Time" referred to in the title indicates the quintet's new direction, which was considerably funkier than the group's former R&B persona. The album likewise marked the final contributions of G.C. Cameron, who himself was the latest in a line of replacements that began when George W. Dixon made way for Edgar "Chico" Edwards in 1961. However, by the time the combo had become part of the Motown roster, Edwards' spot was filled by Cameron. The Stevie Wonder-penned "It's a Shame" became the Spinners' first Top 20 hit of the decade.