Bill Withers - 'Bout Love (1978) (Hi-Res)

One of Wither's most underrated sets, a nice effort from the latter part of his Columbia career. The set has the sort of modern soul polish throughout that separates these CBS sides from his earlier grittier work for Sussex, and though the sound has a little more commercial and mainstream appeal than some of the funkier folksier early albums, it's aged a lot better than we might have predicted upon its release. Overall the vibe is a lot like the excellent Menagerie album which immediately preceded this, with some nice jazzy touches, and even though it didn't produce a big hit like "Lovely Day", it does features some arrangements by Wade Marcus that contribute to the warm, polished production. Titles include "Love Is", "All Because Of You", "You Got The Stuff", "Don't It Make It Better", and "Look To Each Other For Love".

„Bill Withers collaborated with keyboardist/arranger/songwriter Paul Smith on this engaging set issued. Still Bill offers his usual mellowness and down-home sincerity on such cuts as "All Because of You," "Dedicated to You My Love," and the brotherly love-themed "Look to Each Other for Love." There are surprising up-tempo tracks like the horn-punctuated Top 30 R&B lead single "Don't Make It Better," and the back-alley funk of its follow-up, "You Got the Stuff," with its squishy, cartoonish vocoder-generated background vocals. "Love Is" and "All Because of You" are on Ain't No Sunshine issued by BMG International on February 29, 2000.

Tracklist

01. All Because of You (Album Version)
02. Dedicated to You My Love
03. Don't It Make It Better (Album Version)
04. You Got the Stuff
05. Look to Each Other for Love
06. Love (Album Version)
07. Love Is
08. Memories Are That Way (Album Version)

Personnel

Bill Withers - vocals
Paul Smith - keyboards
Bryan Garofalo - guitar
Keni Burke - bass
Jerry Knight - bass
Russ Kunkel - drums
Ralph MacDonald - percussion