Bobby Womack - So Many Rivers (1985) (LP) - €10,00

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So Many Rivers is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bobby Womack. The album was released in 1985, by MCA Records. The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200. 

"I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much" starts off the album with a mid tempo jazzy/blues melody that has a similar flavor of Lionel Richie's "Love Will Conquer All". 

"So Baby,Don't Leave Home Without It" is a gospel harmony drenched shuffling uptempo soul number filled with horn fanfare's. The title song is a sizzling,new wave inflected soul rocker with some amazing riffing from Womack while Curtis Mayfield's "Gypsy Woman" is done in a slinky mid-tempo fashion. 

"Whatever Happened To The Times?" is an energetic,uptempo and danceable electro funk number while "Let Me Kiss It Where It Hurts" and "Got To Be With You Tonight" are,as with the Sam Cooke cover of "That's Where It's At" are all modernized doo-wop ballads whereas "Check It Out" closes the album on another uptempo funky soul number.

One of the things that came to my mind instantly upon hearing this album was something I first heard from a certain famous musical author known as retro nouveau soul. 

It was used to describe artists such as Anita Baker and Will Downing. 

Basically that term describes an album of this sort too-where contemporary instrumentation for it's age,such as drum machines and electronic synthesizers,are played and arranged in the same way as fully live instrumentation would've been used on soul/funk records in the past. 

During an era where much more rhythmically rigid,electronic rhythms were becoming a huge part of contemporary soul in the mid 80's? Albums such as this paved the way for the organic use of live instruments that would define funk/soul music in the late 80's. 

Considering all of these songs had a nostalgic and romantically consoling flavor again countering the more explicit lyricism coming into play at this time? Could be this album was one of Womack's most important of the 1980's decade

Side A

A1.  I Wish He Didnt Trust Me So Much - 3:54

A2.  So Baby, Dont Leave Home Without It - 4:02

A3.  So Many Rivers - 4:22

A4.  Got To Be With You Tonight - 4:00

A5.  Gypsy Woman - 4:23

Side B

B1.  Whatever Happened To The Times? - 4:16

B2.  Let Me Kiss It Where It Hurts - 4:45

B3.  Only Survivor - 4:21

B4.  Thats Where It’s At - 3:42

B5.  Check It Out - 3:48

Personnel

• Bobby Womack - vocals, percussion, backing vocals
• David T. Walker, Jeff Baxter, Robert Palmer - guitar
• David Shields, Nathan Watts - bass guitar
• Dan Lee Butts, Michael Wycoff - keyboards
• Frank "Rusty" Hamilton - synthesizer
• James Gadson - percussion, backing vocals
• Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
• Dorothy Ashby - harp
• Alltrinna Grayson, Curtis Womack, Friendly Womack, Jr., Kathy Bloxson, Kathy Wesley, Mary "Baby Sister" Clayton, Stephanie Spruill, The Waters, Vesta Williams - backing vocals

Credits

• Art Direction – Jeff Adamoff
• Engineer – Glen Feit
• Engineer [Assistant Engineer, Hit City West] – Kathy Botich, Kevin O'Connor
• Engineer [Assistant Engineer, Yamaha] – Keith Seppane
• Management – Allen Klein
• Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
• Mixed By – Barney Perkins, Glen Feit
• Other [Make-Up] – Patty Androff
• Other [Wardrobe] – Harvey Krantz
• Photography By – Jim Shea
• Producer – Bobby Womack, James Gadson

Notes

Release: 1985

Format:  LP

Genre:  Soul

Label:  MCA Records

Catalog#  MCF 3282

Vinyl:  Excellent

Cover:  Excellent

Prijs: €10,00