Pat Kelly - Soulful Love - The Best of Pat Kelly 1967 to 1974 (1997)

Delightful reggae-flavored soul by Pat Kelly & Friends: the Techniques, the Uniques, and Hopeton Lewis. Kelly's falsetto is captivating and lessens the annoyance of the incessant rocksteady beat on every tune except "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" and "Steal Away." Kelly clones Curtis Mayfield's voice better than anyone; you might think it is Mayfield on "You'll Want Me Back," "There Comes a Time," and some others. The 26 tracks feature a fantastic rendition of the Temptations' "I Wish It Would Rain" and a tender update of James Carr's "Dark End of the Street." Kelly does remakes because he wants to, not because he has to -- the original material including "Man of My Word" and "That Special One" are just as good as the rehashes.