COMPACT DISCS : ExcellentGoodFairPoor

“14 Greatest Hits.” Al Green. Motown. Sorry, Teddy Pendergrass. Sorry, Peabo Bryson. Sorry, James Ingram. Sorry, Freddie Jackson. Sorry, Jeffrey Osborne. Sorry even Luther Vandross. It has been more than six years since Green gave up the secular pop life for the gospel trail, yet no one has come even close to matching the exquisite phrasing, sensual tension and sheer intimacy of his remarkable R&B;/pop hits from the early ‘70s. These 14 Willie Mitchell-produced tracks, from “Tired of Being Alone” to a pre-Talking Heads rendition of “Take Me to the River,” define Green’s art.