Those whose familiarity with late former Temptation Ruffin's solo work extends only to the hits "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)" and "Walk Away from Love" may be surprised to find about half these tracks, originally issued between 1969 and 1977, making a great case for his work after leaving Motown's greatest group. Ruffin's fervor and control are intact here, even when his producers are chasing someone else's sound, as on a cover of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "I Miss You." David Ritz's liner notes posit this period of Ruffin's career as unjustly overlooked; the above-mentioned smashes, along with tracks such as "World of Darkness" and "No Matter Where," make it hard to disagree. --Rickey Wright