Slim Harpo recorded really good rhythm and blues. He never got too fancy; he never forgot the importance of the groove. He died young in 1970, but his music reached the Rolling Stones (who covered his "I'm a King Bee"), the Kinks (who sang his "I Got Love If You Want It"), Van Morrison, and Them (whose first single was Harpo's "Don't Start Crying Now"). These songs and other greats--"Tip on In," "Baby, Scratch My Back"--are all included in this excellent collection of Harpo's greatest sides. --Robert Gordon