Across 71 tracks, this collection's four discs sum up four James Browns:
- Disc one is Lightning James, where he just comes out raw and bares it for all to see, a pure force of nature. Signature track: Please Please Please
- Disc two is Fire James, where he's got a head of steam behind him and he's seeing how far he can take it, ratcheting it up by sheer force of will. Signature track: I Feel Good
- Disc three is Ember James, where the flames can't leap any higher, but now they smolder, as the sound stretches out and gets hot and cool, where the act and the sound have become effortless and the jams just go and go. Signature track: Talking Loud and Sayin' Nothing
- Disc four is Stone James, where there's not much fire left, but Brown just is, just keeps rolling, a testament to his sound, even as it adds little to the legend itself. Signature track: The Payback
Would this have been better with a tighter set of 3 discs? Maybe. But, in a way, the excess, the endlessness, the relentlessness is the perfect embodiment of The Hardest Working Man in show business. If you want to hear any James Brown, this has what you need, and afterwards you'll be well-versed in the power of a man well-deserving of
his many titles 4.5/5
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