The Singer: The Very Best of Art Garfunkel

Legacy's 2011 collection of Paul Simon's solo recordings was called Songwriter, so logic dictates that the companion two-disc set of Art Garfunkel solo material should be dubbed The Singer. Then again, what else could it be called? Garfunkel never was a writer; he was only a singer, and even at his best he wasn't exactly an interpreter -- he sang the songs as they were written, always to the best of his abilities. This comprehensive but non-chronological 34-track retrospective does a superb job of rounding up Art's highlights, beginning with the heavy-hitters from Simon & Garfunkel ("Bridge Over Troubled Water," "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her," "Scarborough Fair/Canticle," "Kathy's Song," "The Sound of Silence," "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright," "April Come She Will," "My Little Town") and running through many of his hit singles ("All I Know," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "Break Away," " Wonderful World," "A Heart in New York"), adding deep album cuts and a couple of new recordings for good measure.