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Percy Sledge's fate and fame will forever rest on the shoulders of his massive 1966 hit, the forlorn ballad "When a Man Loves a Woman." With its funeral pace and churchy organ, coupled with Sledge's pleading, compassionate vocal, "When a Man Loves a Woman" is one of the most fascinatingly desperate songs in pop history. Although he was one of Southern soul's greatest singers, Sledge never got that near the sun again, at least not commercially. This collection, recorded with some of Nashville's best session players in 1979, finds Sledge going straight honky tonk, covering Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone," Lefty Frizzell's "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time," and a pair of Merle Haggard songs, "Today I Started Loving You Again" and "Mama Tried," with an easy and comfortable assurance. It may be country, but that doesn't mean it isn't soulful. A nice, if understated, set.