Otis Redding is the one male soul singer of the ’60s that every music fan needs to know about. And for the fan that wants it all, the box-set Soul Manifesto is the ideal holiday gift. Containing a dozen albums in shrunken versions of the original LP covers, Soul Manifesto encompasses his entire career with Atco Records, including posthumous releases following his 1967 death in a plane crash near Madison, Wis.
Redding combined authority and sass, gravitas and fervor on hits such as “Respect” and “Pain in My Heart,” and was able to infuse even weaker material (there wasn’t much of that) with horsepower. The earlier discs in this set are in mono, as they were meant to be heard. For the collector wanting more, check out the separately released Otis Blue for its alternate takes.
