Beg, Scream & Shout!: The Big Ol' Box Of ‘60s Soul [Rhino 72815]

This 1997 release just may have the coolest packaging ever. The box itself resembles (is) one of the old 45rpm singles carrying cases that we oldsters used to tote our singles collections around in. The six CDs themselves are painted to resemble classic soul singles, and they contain a masterful mix of standards and rarities. There's not a dog in the whole box. If you want to discover what soul was all about, this is where you start.

From Sir Mack Rice (who wrote and recorded the original "Mustang Sally") to Gloria Jones ("Tainted Love"), the Big Ol' Box of ‘60s Soul is a consistent delight.

Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: A Musical Journey [Universal/HIP-O Records B0000393-02]

This is the new one and I almost wrote it off because the series it "accompanies" received such tepid reviews. But this five-disc set might be the best single introduction to the blues I've ever heard.

It matches classic field recordings with new versions of classic songs by contemporary blues masters. The best part is that it uses an extremely inclusive definition of what blues is. As a result, you get Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Jimi Hendrix, and Casandra Wilson in addition to Son House, Blind Blake, and Memphis Minnie.

Do some classic tracks and performers get left out? Of course, but this set manages to hit the high spots and still offer some surprises. I'd judge that a success.

Say It Loud! A Celebration of Black Music in America [Rhino R2 76660]

This six-disc set covers some of the same ground as the first two, but it's even more ambitious in scope. And it works powerfully well.

Unlike the other two sets, it places the songs in a social context by including excerpts from speeches by Martin Luther King, Thurgood Marshall, and Louis Farrakhan (among others).

The songs range from Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" to "Elvis Is Dead" by Living Colour -- with stops along the way for Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. In this context, powerful hip-hop songs like NWA's "Express Yourself" and Run-DMC's "Proud To Be Black" sound inevitable -- and indomitable.

If you buy just one massive box set this year, make it Say It Loud. It's an amazing piece of work.