The enigmatic Alice Clark is one of soul music's most mysterious figures. That's because the New York singer withdrew from the music business in the early '70s after her career failed to take off and hasn't been heard of since, despite valiant attempts to locate her by assorted music historians and record companies.

If Clark's still alive, it's more than probable that she's not aware of her cult fame, especially on the Northern Soul scene where she's revered for her solitary Warner 45, 'You Hit Me (Right Where It Hurt Me).' That barnstorming dance floor favourite kicks off this superb 15-track retrospective, which also includes all the tracks from the only long player Clark recorded – her eponymous and very collectable 1972 album issued on Bob Shad's Mainstream label, which now exchanges hands for £100.

Rarity and collectability does not always equate to musical greatness but Clark's solitary LP is a bona fide humdinger, including a superb funk version of the late Bobby Hebb's 'Don't You Care' – a hugely popular anthem on the acid jazz scene in the '90s – and a high voltage version of the Donny Hathaway-associated tune, 'Hey Girl.' A handful of cuts Clark recorded for the small Rainy Day label in 1968 are also present, including a previously unissued track called 'Before Her Time.' Also making its first commercial appearance is the instrumental version of 'You Hit Me (Right Where It Hurt Me),' which is the closing cut on a fantastic collection that showcases the vocal brilliance of a singer whose talent should have yielded greater success. File under cult from the vaults.