Published on Mar 1, 2000
Comeback is a word that many artists don’t like to hear – even
if it accurately describes what is happening to their careers at
the moment. One wonders how some stars ever survived before VH-1’s
“Behind The Music” series.
In the case of Bobby Womack, maybe the word “comeback” isn’t the
correct word when he released
The Poet back in 1981. I mean, here was an artist who might
not have had a hit since the latter half of 1976, but was someone
who had been consistently cranking out albums. He hadn’t changed;
public tastes had with the rise of disco as flavor of the week. But
when people finally turned their attention back to Womack, he and
his music were there welcoming them back with open arms.
Of course, some things had changed. Womack was no longer on a
major label; instead,
The Poet was originally released on a small label, Beverly
Glen Records. But maybe that was the career kick in the backside
that Womack needed; he now had the chance to succeed or fail on his
own terms and merit.
Looking back on this disc nearly 20 years since its initial
release (and a good while since I received it to review – sorry,
Cary!), Womack shows many reasons why he was so popular at the
time. Yet there are times when it almost seemed like the message
overstayed its welcome, and the music dragged on a tad too long.
(Yeah, that’s a funny thing to say about an album that is only
about 45 minutes in length, I know.)
As much as I can’t admit to being fully schooled in r&b
(“quiet storm”?), Womack’s hit off
The Poet, “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” does ring some
bells, and pleasant ones at that. Womack’s style of vocal delivery
slides onto the instrumental track smoothly, providing the listener
with the distinct feeling that they’re listening to something
special. There’s almost a gospel-like atmosphere to the song at
times – a feeling that is much stronger on the track “Where Do We
Go From Here”.
Despite all this praise, I don’t think that either of these
tracks are the highlight of
The Poet. Instead, that honor goes to the track “Just My
Imagination”. Oh great, you’re thinking, a Temptations cover. Not
quite; Womack structures a whole new track that might even eclipse
the song you originally thought this was. Everything falls into
place on this song – the songwriting, the vocals, the musicianship.
This is what r&b was meant to be.
If only the entire album were that strong. Tracks like “So Many
Sides Of You” just don’t seem to develop into the numbers that they
could have been. Part of the problem lies in the
weaker-than-expected choruses, part of it in a lack of true harmony
vocals. Other tracks, like “Secrets” and “Games,” not only fail to
light the candle, but they also seem to drag on for far too long,
“Games” in particular. Had maybe two to three minutes been chopped
off this song, it would have been more bearable.
Granted, appreciating Womack in general is an acquired taste; I
think I ended up listening to this disc some seven times before
daring to pass any type of judgment. But even after one listen, you
will undoubtedly find yourself drawn to certain parts of
The Poet – as well as pushed away from other parts.
Womack is an artist whose influence is only now fully being
recognized. On
The Poet, there are ample signs of the structure he brought
to r&b – but sometimes I wish he had left a little more behind
on this one.