Hey Little Girl collects the best of Dee Clark's Abner, Falcon, and Vee Jay sides from 1956-1963, including three early recordings he made as a member of the Kool Gents (listed here as the Cool Gents). The anthology contains every pop and R&B hit he scored for the above-mentioned labels, including the few that "bubbled under" Billboard's Top 100. Part of the reason why Clark isn't better remembered today may be that he didn't have an identifiable style -- he sounds like Little Richard on "Oh Little Girl," Sam Cooke on "Your Friends," and Clyde McPhatter on a number of the pop hits. Some of the latter forge an appealing sound with flutes and electric bass guitars dominating the airy arrangements, but R&B purists may find these too pop-oriented for their liking. Even Clark's big hits -- the aggressive "Hey Little Girl" with its Bo Diddley beat and the pop ballad "Raindrops" -- sound like they could have been made by two different artists. Hey Little Girl is a thorough anthology of Clark's early sides, all but one of which are presented in mono. The disc is more like listening to an R&B compilation than the work of one singer, but has all the important cuts.