SENSUAL SEVENTIES SOUL
Pieter | Johannesburg | 05/24/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Barry White's brand of sensual orchestral seventies soul is sorely missed. We can do with a bit of old-fashioned sensuality on radio these days. This love song collection includes all his work (Did he do anything but love songs?) His greatest hits from that melody-friendly decade are all here: Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More and the sublime You're The First, The Last, My Everything. I always liked his understated version of Just The Way You Are much more than Billy Joel's overwrought emoting on the original, and Never Never Gonna Give You Up is still as delicious now as it was back then. There's not a bad track on Love Songs and many classics, like It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It's Spring) and the two tracks originally credited to the Love Unlimited Orchestra: Love's Theme and Walking In The Rain With The One I Love. Sometimes Barry comes across as a lighter, more romantic Isaac Hayes, the same type of hot-buttered voice and deft instrumentation. I think White' work will someday be rated on a par with that of the legendary Stax and Motown artists."