The Vaults / CD Reissues

*** The O’Jays, “Give the People What They Want.” Columbia Legacy. No R&B; group in the ‘70s gave more consistently stirring expressions of social consciousness than the O’Jays. The cream of the vocal trio’s angry music, produced by Gamble and Huff, is featured in this collection, including “Don’t Call Me Brother” and “Ship Ahoy,” the chilling, nearly 10-minute tale of slave passage. Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (essential).