No matter how good a singer is, if they are to sustain a successful career, invariably they are dependent upon just how user-friendly the songs they’re given to sing are. To his credit, Jimmy Ruffin quickly found his niche in the conveyor-belt competitiveness of the Motown operation, where it was not uncommon for a number of artists to record the same song, with the hottest star of the hour bagging the release.
Ruffin’s forte wasn’t frenetic dance tracks but well-crafted ‘lost-love’ hits of the calibre of “What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted”, “I’ve Passed This Way Before”, “It’s Wonderful” etc?all great singles that comprise the first part of this two-CD anthology. However, there was far more to Ruffin, as can be detected on the accompanying rarities CD, which shows how Jimmy fashioned his trademark style via a snap’n’ fingerpop version of “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby” and the truly sumptuous “That’s You Girl”. Still in fine voice, all that Jimmy Ruffin requires are those elusive new fail-safe hit songs.