S.O.U.L.
, a ten-track budget compilation released by
Sony
in 2013, provides an adequate sampling of
Earth, Wind & Fire
's mid-'70s through early-'80s releases, from
That's the Way of the World
(1975) through
Raise!
(1981). The band released plenty of excellent material prior to and after the era, and nothing here comes from the excellent 1980 double album
Faces
. The two-disc
Essential Earth, Wind & Fire
covers much of that other ground, but this does stick to significant
EW&F
hits, including the classics "That's the Way of the World," "Fantasy," "Getaway," "Boogie Wonderland," "September," and "Let's Groove." ~ Andy Kellman