This budget compilation is somewhat skimpy at 12 tracks, but those twelve tracks are killers. Teddy Pendergrass's biggest charting hits--"Close the Door" and "Turn Off the Lights," among them--are included, and the whole plays not only like a sampler of Pendergrass's brightest moments, but like a primer on late-1970s/early-'80s "quiet storm" soul.
As evidenced by how these singles burned up the charts, and the subsequent high sales of Pendergrass's albums, it was clear that Philadelphia International and Pendergrass had a winning combination on their hands. P.I. masterminds Gamble and Huff's sweet, string-heavy arrangements were the perfect match for Pendergrass's rich, bedroom croon, and the well-written tunes, seemingly tailor-made for candlelit dinners and boudoir activities, don't hurt either. The enduring appeal of those songs is all the more apparent hearing them back-to-back on THE BEST.