AMG Review of Very Best of Patti Austin: The Singles (1969-1986)

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Rhino's 2001 release The Very Best of Patti Austin: The Singles (1969-1986) lives up to the first part of its title, offering 17 songs, including all her big hits on both the pop and R&B charts. This means there's a heavy dose of her duets -- most notably two cuts with James Ingram ("Baby, Come to Me," "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"), but also a pair of cuts with Quincy Jones and one with Narada Michael Walden, along with all of her solo signatures. This, combined with fine remastering and song-by-song annotation from Austin herself, makes this the definitive Austin collection.