Going Back

Phil Collins hired three of the surviving Funk Brothers to recreate the sound of old Motown in a studio in Switzerland. Collins has always loved Motown — he had a hit in 1981 with the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” — and the 18 tracks on the basic album and 26 on the iTunes Deluxe Version are all done in complete homage to the sound that bedazzled Collins’ youth. The Deluxe Version includes many of Collins’ best efforts. “You Really Got a Hold On Me,” “Dancing In the Streets,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” and “Standing In the Shadows of Love” are all indestructible, timeless tunes. Collins doesn’t just mine Motown’s biggest hits, but works through “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue),” “In My Lonely Room” and “Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer” with the same passion. He’ll never be Levi Stubbs or Smokey Robinson, but he also doesn’t sound much like the guy whose hits include “Against All Odds,” “Misunderstanding” and “That’s All.” Fans will surely be intrigued.