Despite the abrupt end of his brilliant recording career in 1985, Bill Withers's legacy lives on. Since his self-imposed exile, his sentimental and bluesy soul songs have been covered by a wide variety of artists including Club Nouveau ('Lean on Me'), Me'Shell NdégeOcello ('Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?'), Will Smith ('Just the Two of Us'), and Paul McCartney ('Ain't No Sunshine'). The Gap even built a highly successful commercial campaign around his 1977 hit 'Lovely Day.' What makes this best-of package the quintessential Withers experience, however, is the inclusion of a number of lesser-known songs that show off the song man's R&B, funk, jazz, and folk nuances. Among the highlights are the string-laden 'Harlem,' the bossa-nova groove of 'I Want to Spend the Night,' and the brassy soul of 'I Wish You Well.' In the disc's liner notes, Withers eloquently describes his music: 'We all have different rhythms and rhymes. Mine might be slower than one man's and faster than another's. All I know for sure is this: When I'm writing, I'm a conduit. A larger spirit is moving through me. All I can do is be open when that spirit starts to move.' Let's just hope that the spirit moves Withers to bless us with his sweet soul music once again.Dave Gil de Rubio