Top 10 R&B Greatest Hits & Best-Of CDs

1. "Every Great Motown Hit," Marvin Gaye.

Released in 1983, this 17-track collection is superior to the numerous other best-of and greatest hits collections of Marvin's music based mainly on the song selection and order in which they're sequenced. There's no filler material here, just a tight package of songs.

2. "The Definitive Collection," Stevie Wonder.

Released in 2002, this package is slightly better than the other Stevie greatest hits packages that proceeded it mainly due to song selection. That, and the warm, inviting album cover.

3. "The Ultimate Otis Redding," Otis Redding.

To be honest, you can't go wrong buying any compilation of Otis's best work, but "Ultimate Otis" has a few more songs than some of the other greatest hits packages by him, thus giving you more for your money.

4. "The R. in R&B Collection Vol. 1," R. Kelly.

Love him or hate him, R. Kelly is one of the greatest male R&B artists of modern times. And "The R. In R&B Collection" drives home this point immaculately.

5. "A Donny Hathaway Collection," Donny Hathaway.

Fifteen beautifully melancholy songs that will make you long for more from this musical genius.

6. "The Hits/The B Sides," Prince.

A triple-disc set that's a must-have for core Prince fans because of the third disc, which is a collection of Prince's rare and previously unreleased material.

7. "Ultimate Hits Collection," Ray Charles.

The name says it all. A two-disc set, "Ultimate Hits Collection" is an excellent retrospective of an enduring - and endearing - talent.

8. "The Ultimate Isley Brothers," The Isley Bros., 2000.

Released in 2000, this 17-track set is superior to the Isleys' "essential" and "greatest hits" packages because its neither overblown nor skimpy, like some of the other collections are.

9. "Legacy: The Greatest Hits," Boyz II Men.

This collection is "only" 13 songs deep, but it's the right 13 songs. And in the right sequence.

10. "Greatest Hits (Import)," The Gap Band.

This one's a little tricky: there's a domestic version of their greatest hits, but the import version, has six more songs and a better cover. You can find this version at amazon.com and other online retailers.