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July 23, 2010

After notching hits and four platinum records in the 1980s with the R&B trio Levert, Grammy-winning singer Gerald Levert went solo in 1991, topping the R&B charts with his first album, Private Line.

The hits kept coming as the superstar's soulful baritone fueled a long run of beloved music that sadly ended in 2006 with Levert's unexpected death.

Rhino Records pays tribute to Levert with a collection of his greatest work, including the previously unreleased "Can It Stay." The Best of Gerald Levert will be available on August 31 at all retail outlets, including www.rhino.com. "Can It Stay" is available for download now at all digital retailers.

Spanning two decades, the 16-song set is the first collection to span Levert's entire extraordinary career and also features liner notes by Cornel West.

Arranged chronologically, the album begins with the single version of the Grammy-nominated "Casanova," a #1 R&B/#5 Pop smash he recorded in 1987 with Levert.

Three tracks come from Levert's 1991 solo debut Private Line, including the single version of the title track, "School Me," and the R&B #1 "Baby Hold On To Me," which features the singer teaming up with his father, Eddie Levert, the lead singer of The O'Jays.

The father and son recorded together frequently over the years, including the poignant ballad "Already Missing You" (#7 R&B), which is featured here and taken from the duo's first album together, 1995's Father And Son.

The Best of Gerald Levert touches on Levert's work with singers Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill in the R&B supergroup LSG with "My Body" (#1 R&B/#4 Pop), from trio's Grammy-nominated, double-platinum debut, Levert-Sweat-Gill (1997).

The collection concludes with two tracks from Levert's posthumous Grammy-winning 2007 album In My Songs, the title track and "DJ Don't," as well as the previously unreleased "Can It Stay."


Track listing:

"Casanova" (Single Version) – Levert
"Private Line" (Single Version)
"Baby Hold On To Me" – with Eddie Levert, Sr.
"School Me"
"I'd Give Anything"
"Answering Service"
"Already Missing You" – with Eddie Levert, Sr.
"My Body" – LSG
"Thinkin' Bout It"
"Taking Everything"
"Made To Love Ya"
"Funny"
"U Got That Love (Call It A Night)"
"In My Songs"
"DJ Don't"
"Can It Stay"*

Link

[Edited 7/23/10 6:45am]

I was hoping for a collection of unreleased music. Maybe even a collection of covers, but I'll take this.

I just bought the single on Amazon. I HOPE THAT THE VERSION OF "SCHOOL ME" is the LIVE version. I also hope the version of "Answering Service" is the radio edit. I love the re-done background vocals on that version.

Here's the live version of School Me

[Edited 7/23/10 13:06pm]