Bishop Magic Don Juan / Various

There’s a soft side to pimping, and Bishop Magic Don Juan — former solicitor of prostitutes and spiritual advisor to Snoop Dogg — uses his pimp hand to prove it. He compiles ten classic soul songs that make an ugly business seem sensitive. It starts with the Isley Brothers’ "Between the Sheets.” Press your body up against someone you love and you’ll get the song’s chemistry; decades later, the Notorious B.I.G. rekindled it on his own baby making proposition, "Big Poppa.” But this disc isn’t just about sex. William De Vaughn’s "Be Thankful” advises brothers and sisters to stay cool — despite not cruising around in a Cadillac. "Have You Seen Her,” the Chi-Lites’ ode to lost lovers was genius even if most won’t remember that MC Hammer covered it on the Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ’Em. Don Juan sets the mood perfectly with sensuous numbers ("In the Mood” and "Stay in My Corner”) the present generation needs to hear. In an era where R&B lacks the emotional wallop of its historical counterpart, maybe only a pimp can keep the game in check.