Roscoe Shelton started out as a gospel vocalist, before making the secular switch in 1958 at the behest of Excello Records owner Ernie Young. Roscoe made seven singles for Excello stretching into 1961, but he didn’t hit his stride until he signed with the locally-based Sims Records, where he crashed the national R&B charts with “Strain On My Heart” in 1965. This bountiful 28-track compilation of Roscoe’s SS7 years offers the most in-depth examination yet of a soul music pioneer’s most productive period, his mellifluous voice never failing to thrill. Nashville soul at its finest.