AMG Review of Essentials

Andy Kellman
All Music Guide

Even if it does feature slightly better sound quality, The Essentials is a truncated and somewhat cheapened version of Haven't You Heard: The Best of Patrice Rushen, a perfectly fine compilation released only six years prior to this one. This does include all of Patrice Rushen's chart entries from 1979 through 1984 (including "Forget Me Nots," "Haven't You Heard," "Breakout!," "Get Off," "Let the Music Take Me," and "Feels So Real"), but it could've gone deeper with some album cuts -- the spectacular "Number One" in particular, which is included on Haven't You Heard. If nothing else is available, The Essentials will function as a decent fallback.