Higher and Higher

AMG Review of Higher and Higher

Andrew Hamilton
All Music Guide

Charly Records did a good job narrowing the selection down to these 25 songs when you considered the many albums Wilson recorded. Some diligent person took the time to wade through a lot of stuff to pick these jewels. Picking the hits was easy, but coming up with "Tear of the Year," "You Don't Know What It Means," "Am I the Man" and "Why Can't You Be Mine" deserves some praise. Jackies' full, honey-throated tenor is as numbing as any voice in pop music. Wilson could sing addresses from the white pages and pull it off. The stuttering, vocal gymnastics used by Wilson on "Reet Petite" is amazing. I always wanted Stevie Wonder to redo this one, it has the same big band sound Wonder used on "Sir Duke" and "Deed I Do." If the collaboration had continued, Berry Gordy and Tyran Carlo (Billy Davis) would have done for Jackie what Holland, Dozier, Holland did for the Supremes: write hit on top of hit for him. Their songs "Reet," "Lonely Teardrops," "That's Why (I Love You So)" and "I'll Be Satisfied" are some of the best he ever recorded. Just as comfortable with fast songs, Jackie let it all out on "Shake, Shake, Shake," and "Baby Workout." The late '60s produced a Motown-ish Wilson; the infectious "Whispers (Getting Louder)" and the frantic "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher" showed that Jackie didn't have a problem flowing with the times.