New Gerald Levert Best-Of Coming Next Month

• During happier times

Late R&B star Gerald Levert’s recording career will be honored next month, when Rhino releases The Best of Gerald Levert.

The 16-song collection includes the Cleveland singer’s biggest hits, including “Casanova” (his breakthrough single, which was recorded with the trio Levert), “Baby Hold on to Me” (a duet with his dad, the O’Jays’ Eddie Levert), and “My Body” (which was recorded with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill as the R&B supergroup LSG).

The set also includes a previously unreleased track, “Can It Stay.”

Levert began his career in the mid-’80s with Levert. By 1991, he went solo and became one of R&B’s biggest stars. Through it all, Levert remained in Cleveland. He died in 2006.

Here’s The Best of Gerald Levert‘s full track listing:

1. “Casanova” (Single Version) — Levert
2. “Private Line” (Single Version)
3. “Baby Hold On To Me” — with Eddie Levert, Sr.
4. “School Me”
5. “I’d Give Anything”
6. “Answering Service”
7. “Already Missing You” — with Eddie Levert, Sr.
8. “My Body” — LSG
9. “Thinkin’ Bout It”
10. “Taking Everything”
11. “Made To Love Ya”
12. “Funny”
13. “U Got That Love (Call It A Night)”
14. “In My Songs”
15. “DJ Don’t”
16. “Can It Stay”

What’s your favorite Levert song? Did it make the cut? —Michael Gallucci

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This article appears in Jul 21-27, 2010.