Perhaps a minor figure in the grand scheme of things, James Carr recorded a few undeniable classics in the realm of soul music. "Dark End Of The Street" and "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man" are brief, intense portraits of desperation, and they earn Carr a place on the soul pantheon even if the rest of his music is fairly obscure. Many aficiandos, however, consider Carr one of the greatest soul singers outside the Atlantic/Stax axis, and discs like Razor & Tie's The Essential James Carr go a long way towards making that case. Highly recommended for those wishing to glimpse past Carr's few hits. Though Essential has been deleted, the same material is available on European discs like The Complete Goldwax Singles - arguably a better collection, anyway.