Aaron Neville Sings It Like It Is on New Compilation, `The Best Of Aaron Neville'

Business Wire, May 8, 2002

Entertainment Editors & Music/Retail Writers

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--May 8, 2002

"Who I am is a man in love with music."

--Aaron Neville, Liner Notes, "The Best Of Aaron Neville"

The musical melting pot of New Orleans produced a genuine singer's singer in Aaron Neville. Bringing together influences from `50s doo-wop to boogie woogie, country to gospel to R&B, his sweet soulful voice is the most familiar from Nawlins' first family of music. Now a dozen of his greatest recordings, chosen by Neville himself, are heard on "The Best Of Aaron Neville" edition of "20th Century Masters/The Millennium Collection" (A&M/UME), released June 4, 2002.

Each selection on "The Best Of Aaron Neville" has been digitally remastered, from the original 1966 version of his #2 pop/#1 R&B classic "Tell It Like It Is" to his Top 10 1991 masterpiece "Everybody Plays The Fool," from The Neville Brothers' remarkable version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" from their gold 1989 "Yellow Moon" album to Aaron's 1997 "Please Remember Me" duet with Linda Ronstadt. Also included are liner notes by the esteemed David Ritz, co-author of "The Brothers Neville" with Aaron, Art, Charles and Cyril Neville.

Other than the Par-Lo single of "Tell It Like It Is," the Daniel Lanois-produced "A Change Is Gonna Come" and the co-written "I Can't Imagine," first heard on the soundtrack to 1996's "The Truth About Cats And Dogs" (and making its first appearance on a Neville album), "The Best Of Aaron Neville" was culled from his four non-holiday A&M albums of the `90s, the most commercially successful period of his solo career.

His first album for the label, 1991's "Warm My Heart," was a platinum smash and featured the title song written by the formidable Atlantic team of Jerry Wexler, Ahmet Ertegun and Tom Dowd, as well as "Angola Bound," penned by Aaron and Charles. Both were co-produced by Ronstadt and George Massenburg, as were "Everybody Plays The Fool" (with Russ Kunkel) and the Rodney Crowell-Will Jennings track "Please Remember Me" from "To Make Me Who I Am." The latter album is also represented on "The Best Of Aaron Neville" by its co-written and biographical title track and "Sweet Amelia" (named after his mother).

From 1993's platinum "The Grand Tour" comes Diane Warren's "Don't Take Away My Heaven." From 1995's gold "The Tattooed Heart," the collection reprises "Some Days Are Made For Rain" and his inspired take on Bill Withers' "Use Me." Now in his fifth decade of recording, Aaron Neville continues to be inspired.

The series "20th Century Masters/The Millennium Collection" features new "best of" albums from the most significant music artists of the past century.