Very Best of Miki Howard

Personnel includes: Miki Howard, Gerald Levert (vocals); Horace "Bookie" Coleman (guitar, bass); Kenny Hawkins, Paul Pesco, Randy Bowland, Hugh McCracken, Robert Cunningham, Dean Pleasants (guitar); Phil Bodner (clarinet); Dave Schiavone, Jeff Smith, Sam Peake (saxophone); Jim Calbrese (piano, programming); Jeffrey Collela, Joe Sample (piano); John Nettlesbey (keyboards, drums); LeMel Humes, Bobby Jones, Randy Cantor, Kaye Williams, Terry Coffey (keyboards); Peter Scherer, Ron Jennings (synthesizers); Bill Stabell, Jerry Livingston, Vale Johnson (bass); Mike Caputy (drums); Jimmy Bralower (programming); Dyan Humes, Cindy Mizelle, Sean Levert, Jennifer Price (background vocals); Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Producers include: LeMel Humes, Nick Martinelli, Arif Mardin, Jon Nettlesbey, Terry Coffey.
Compilation producer: Barry Benson.
Engineers include: Eric Calvi, Mike Tarsia, John Agnello.
Includes liner notes by A. Scott Galloway.
Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch.
Rhino's 2001 retrospective The Very Best of Miki Howard is a generous, near-definitive overview of Howard's biggest R&B hits from the '80s. She didn't have many crossover hits, but she did have numerous entries on the R&B charts, all of which are here, including a duet with Gerald Levert, "That's What Love Is." Although this is a little lengthy for listeners with abbreviated attention spans, it does summarize Howard's peak very well, and is as comprehensive a Howard retrospective as could be hoped for. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine