AMG Review of Definitive Collection

Andy Kellman
All Music Guide

The Definitive Collection, though not as thorough as the excellent two-disc set Gold (released a year prior), is a handy overview of the Commodores' career, beginning with 1974's "Machine Gun" and concluding with 1985's "Nightshift." The only Top Ten R&B hits not included here are "Sail On," and a couple later ('80s) cuts, so all the big funk jams ("Too Hot ta Trot," "Brick House," "Lady [You Bring Me Up]") and ballads ("Zoom," "Easy," "Three Times a Lady") are indeed included. This set also scores a little extra by including one of the band's best album cuts, 1976's "Girl, I Think the World About You," which has been left off at least 90 percent of all Commodores comps.