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For me, this 2-CD collection of Maze songs was a pure soul revelation. I'm a huge fan of soul music, particularly the stuff from what I consider the "golden era" of soul music, the early 1960s through the mid 1970s. Maybe because of that personal cutoff date, I never heard many songs by Maze back when they were having hits on the R&B charts. They released their first album in 1977 and by that time my musical interests were straying in other directions. Which is a shame, because I realize now that I missed out on some great music that this group made in the late '70s and throughout the 1980s.What triggered my rediscovery of Frankie Beverly and Maze was hearing the song "Color Blind" on a compilation album last year. It was a tremendous song with a deep funky groove. After being struck by that song I wanted to hear more so I looked into getting a compilation by this group. As you can see, scrolling through the selections on Amazon, there are plenty of "Hits" and "Best Of" collections available. I chose this one because it's a 2-CD set with what looked like a good selection of songs, plus it had "Color Blind" on it, a tune that wasn't found on many other collections.Anyway, after finally hearing more songs by this group, I am truly blown away. Frankie Beverly is obviously a talented singer, but the songs are the group's real strength, and the ones on these two discs are all keepers. From ballads to silky soul and funkier numbers, plus some impressive instrumental excursions, this group truly excels at delivering the goods. I hear an Isley Brothers influence in many songs, and bits of Philly Soul and Motown in some of the other tracks. But when all is played and sung, Maze simply sounds like Maze. After all those "lost years" I'm thrilled that I have belatedly discovered their music. This is first-class soul/R&B music, without a doubt!