Bravo George for an excellent review of one of my favorite R&B albums. There’s nothing I can truly add here (this is a big improvement over your original, which was still quite good but now I can really feel you love this record) besides that I do think that this album still clearly stands out even if you come from 60s and 70s soul/R&B backwards: Bobby is a singer that I feel is unique in his accessibility and restraint but also reaching very, very deep when he is in the right mode, and his roar is still absolutely shredding at times. There’s no way, in my opinion, James Brown could have done Cry Cry Cry as well as Bobby because Bobby can be vulnerable and aggressive at the same time while James often struggled at expressing the former as well. And the band and Bobby does get a sound that I find obviously unique enough that it captures a different vibe than other types of soul music. It might just be a bit more subtle for modern listeners and take more listens to get its greatness.
Another thing is that I only recently learned that the album doesn’t end with How Does A Cheating Woman Feel and Close To You, but the former is a great song and the latter I think is a better closer than the gloomy but obviously still amazing I’ve Been Wrong So Long.
Anyways, great review George, can’t wait to see what you have to say about Roy this week (his albums are inconsistent for sure, but almost all of his Monument-era singles are awesome!)
Bravo George for an excellent review of one of my favorite R&B albums. There’s nothing I can truly add here (this is a big improvement over your original, which was still quite good but now I can really feel you love this record) besides that I do think that this album still clearly stands out even if you come from 60s and 70s soul/R&B backwards: Bobby is a singer that I feel is unique in his accessibility and restraint but also reaching very, very deep when he is in the right mode, and his roar is still absolutely shredding at times. There’s no way, in my opinion, James Brown could have done Cry Cry Cry as well as Bobby because Bobby can be vulnerable and aggressive at the same time while James often struggled at expressing the former as well. And the band and Bobby does get a sound that I find obviously unique enough that it captures a different vibe than other types of soul music. It might just be a bit more subtle for modern listeners and take more listens to get its greatness.
Another thing is that I only recently learned that the album doesn’t end with How Does A Cheating Woman Feel and Close To You, but the former is a great song and the latter I think is a better closer than the gloomy but obviously still amazing I’ve Been Wrong So Long.
Anyways, great review George, can’t wait to see what you have to say about Roy this week (his albums are inconsistent for sure, but almost all of his Monument-era singles are awesome!)