Reviews (page 2 of 8)
I was not convinced by my first listen but my second listen nailed it for me. This album is great. It's not TOO funky or experimental, but it contains little flourishes that demand your attention. I do think it loses steam at the end, but this is definitely entering the rotation.
Starts fun enough, but the songs stay too samey to get excited. Glad i listened to it, but wouldn't have a second go.
5/10 Album starts strong but devolves into cheesy schlock by the halfway point and is nigh on unlistenable end. Groovy, soulful, painfully earnest to the point of insincere lyrics. Oh, and the lyrics? A lot of them are absolute garbage. I'd say the first half of the album is 4 stars, the second half is 2 or 1.
R&b
Probably about what I'd have expected; not that it's a bad thing. Smooth and soulful tunes, pleasant to listen to without really startling my ears with something highly novel. Many of the tracks dragged on a bit longer than I would generally prefer - I don't think they were going anywhere in that elongated time - but as the number of tracks was relatively small, the album overall didn't drag. A nice listen, but unlikely to make it into permanent rotation.
Fun basslines but not my thing.
There’s some real jams on this record. Even the slower songs have their own charm. It’s also pretty crazy that this is his 13th album and it turns into one of his most popular. You’d think after 13 albums you run out of ideas. Nope, not here.
Great artist, but perhaps not his most stirring work
Again, really not me. I suppose he can sing, but this was really uninspiring. Just can't give a 2.
Smoother than a freshly buttered banister
I expected yucky 70's funky soul, I got it, nearly. This was from the 80's. It it probably is a great example of this sort of music, its not my sort at all. I can only assume it sold by the bucket load to adoring pop fans who like their music bland and smoothly produced. In fact the whole thing was smoother than my chin after a shave, its not terribly hard to do either, as my wife even complains I'm still a bit rough even then. Maybe I need to change my razor brand. All said and done, it wasn't offensive to my ears, musically competent and sung well, its just not me.
Sure, production is great, musicianship all on point, a strong voice too… but the cheese factor goes up to 11… when I think what artists like Marvyn Gaye, Curtis Mayfield or Bill Withers were already doing when this came out in 1980… this just doesn’t stand up.
Regular. Passable.
3.25 plenty to like, but not as memorable as many others in the genre.
It was fine. It didn't really move me or speak to me on any level. Just kind of generic sounding radio soul pop music to my ears.
A smooth, evocative soul record carried by Womack's phenomenal voice.
Sexigt och chill, nästan fyra men saknade the special sauce
En riktig crowd pleaser. På andra halvan tänder det till.
fine but kinda whatever
A couple really good songs that sound like ‘70s era Bobby, but as with most ‘80s soul and R&B a lot of the album leans heavily into the cheesy, schlocky easy-listening, elevator music vibe. Where did the funk go? I find it hard to believe that this, being the only Bobby Womack album on the list, is the most essential.
While I don't normally listen to a lot of R&B or Soul, I like Bobby Womack's voice. This is a very nice soul album from the early 80s.
I was vibing
Is it me or does this album sound kind of disco lite rather than soul meets R&B? Great bass. Nice work by ensemble. It's just missing something for me... Overall: 4/10
Funky, bluesy, rocky, jazzy, everything about this, I love.
I need to come up with an acronym for albums that are good except for their meandering, long tracks.
This is the level of funk I find acceptable
I quite liked this. Which, having read a little about Bobby Womack’s life and times, surprised me. I didn’t know that Bobby isn’t actually the Womack from Womack & Womack. THAT Womack is his brother Cecil — who married Bobby’s former stepdaughter, who Bobby himself had already shagged whilst married to her mother. Nice family. Anyway, the songs are good, the production is good and the singing is good — shout-out to the backing singers too. I even liked the very ’80s use of synth in places. And the. lyrics? "Just like some good old Kentucky Fried Chicken / And all of it was good enough to be finger lickin'". He really IS The Poet.
I liked this a lot. Very smooth, groovy, amazing vocals and very fun R&B record. Just a great listen overall. You can have this as background music and also actively listen to it. It can be listened on many occasions.
C'est tellement de la musique à mettre en fond pendant du sexe
Not horrible but it didn't move me as much. I still don't click with soul. The bigger track If You Think You're Lonely Now stood out The Kentucky Fried Chicken lyrics pointed out in one of the website reviews is indeed funny
I can picture my aunt's mother-in-law dancing to this in heaven. It's a fine release that I can acknowledge as good, but nothing too mind-blowing personally. I'm more fond of Bobby Womack from him collaborating with Damon Albarn on Gorillaz records. I think that's all I have to say (6/10, 3/5 on this scale)
8 songs As Richard Cheese famously exclaimed on his eloquent cover of the hit song My Neck, My Back: Lick my pussy, Bobby!
Enjoyed that. Soulful, funky and sexy
Easy on the ears 👂 👂 could melt a frozen easter egg with a single touch and give a straight guy a hard on with a wisper. Lock your daughters up when this cats in town....Cool cat mother fucker.
A-RIBBIDA-SKIBBIDA! Yes Please. thats the review.
My God, what a jaw dropping album. This album has some of the best love making tracks I've ever heard. I can't wait to play this album while engrossed in eating my lady's sumptuous box for 39 minutes. Bobby Womack is truly, The Poet.
Funky, soulful, and charming, this album is an exceptional addition to the collection of smooth love music. Bobby keeps a consistent yet quality feel to a broadly appealing sound in this one, and I am most definitely a fan
So groovy and stylish, listening to this album is like eating a hot fudge sundae with sprinkles and all the fixings. Are all the toppings necessary? It's ice cream and that's already a dessert. But the indulgence of the toppings is what takes it over the top, just like the slap bass, string synthesizers, and sensual vocals elevates this album to the next level of 80's soul music. Each song is so funky, and flourishes of slide guitar, backup vocals, and extra bass just make this album so extra that it never ceases to claim my attention and satisfy my desire for what it provides. Thank you, Bobby.
I really enjoyed this album. I thought it sounded great and right up my street
This was alright, I'm aware he's not a particularly nice guy though. Some songs I liked, others I was less interested in.
6/10 was nice
Lame
Ist eine schöne Soul-Platte, die man entspannt weghören kann, ohne dass ich da jetzt die ganz großen Hits a la "Across 110th Street" rausgehört hätte. Teilweise war mir die Produktion etwas zu sehr in den 80s verhaftet mit den leichten Disco-Anleihen. Hätte ich jetzt nicht unbedingt gebraucht. Da mir die Songs selbst aber durch die Bank weg sehr gut gefallen haben und ich Bobbys Stimme sehr gerne mag, gehe ich dann doch auf knappe 4 Sterne. Nur für ein Album mit dem Titel "The Poet" hätte ich schon etwas tiefgründigere Texte erwartet. Das war schon eher Genre-Standard.
Sehr swingy - ohne dass ich wüsste, ob das genremäßig stimmt. Ich fands sehr gut launig und schön schnell gespielt. Das machte es gleichermaßen leicht und interessant.
Das lief echt schön hier im Hintergrund, leider nicht mehr. Definitiv sehr qualitativ aber bewegt mich nicht
This album is what you put on to make some babies. Good tunes, but nothing that grabbed me in a way that I need to relisten
SMOOTH! Damn this whole thing fucks. Standouts are So Many Sides Of You, Just My Imagination, Stand Up, Games and Where Do We Go From Here.
sono necessari 7 secondi di questo album per dire che è tanta roba
Has some high points and sounds good. Could be a 4 star but I think I'm just biased towards the genre and there's better work out there.
This album is a bit all over the place but it definitely hits that 80s cocaine binge vibe pretty hard. I’m not sure any of it was that good but you could plop this in to an 80s club scene in a movie and it’d fit right in. The funk instrumental stuff is pretty great and Womack’s voice is solid throughout. Some of the lyrics seem a bit out there but I didn’t live through this culture or era so I don’t know if I’m just missing something. Fun to listen to once anyway.
highlight: "Secrets" (maybe have a snack before you sit down to write, Mr. Womack)
Boring
Groovy bro, I dig. Great recording quality, diversity of instruments, and killer slap bass on Secrets especially. Gonna go 3/5 here, there's other disco and other funk on the list already but this comes together pretty nicely.
Another classic 60-70's album. It sounds good but it sounds very texan and sounds like I'm a cowboy Not saving any songs but know what to listen to if I'm riding a horse Review - 6/10
A fun listen. Definitely one of those albums which is only here because of one hit, but the other songs aren't bad at all. 4/5
It was fine. Liked it when I was paying attention but wasn’t paying that much attention
So this one is a question for me. On one side it’s a solid 3. Nothing particularly interesting, well done over all, but really, I could leave it in the rear view. Yet, there are moments, especially on the b side that start to stand out. And as I find with an album like this, it’s often better as it goes because I start to get into its groove. So 4? It’s really a 3.5. The lyrics are… NOT terribly poetic, as many have pointed out. Maybe balladeer? The music is what makes it. 4 Boolean: True
Ausalt, praegu umbes neli päeva hiljem kirjutades ei mäleta ma enam detaile, aga ma mäletan, et tegu oli lõbusa albumiga, mille kuulamiskogemust hindas kõigeparemini hinnang 3. Selliseda vanemad albumid ei kliki minuga nii hästi ja seetõttu ma diskrimineerin neid ikka natukene.
Feel kind of bad with this rating because Bobby is a great vocalist but I just don’t like this type of smooth 80s production
Ok—just not my style. ★★
Pretty inoffensive bland late 70's soul/r&B hokier than it is good.
Great soul album that's a real vibe throughout. One of those that has a few stand outs but is more just generally good with few sore spots.
Blues de black
C’était bien pour faire mon rangement de balcon au soleil
Très cool!
Good album. Awesome cover.
As a general rule as soon as I hear the harp on an R and b song I’m pretty much out.
It took me a few tries. Now I consider myself a fan Bobby is like Marvin Gaye with a funky side and a less tender take on subjects in the lyrics. Even corny songs like Secrets are filled to the rim with tasty melodies and fun riffs. Seemingly out of nowhere, Bobby will use a “JUST LIKE SOME GOOD OL KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN” in his raspy voice that will grab my attention and get me back to listening Definitely looking forward to more from Bobby
nicht so stark leider
I knew and loved a Womack and Womack song already, but apparently that's his brother! This one's a perfectly acceptable soul album, likable but not really standout in any way.
A goos album, I liked So Many Side Of You, Stand Up and Where Do We Go Feom Here the most.
What a vibe. Fun, smooth, sexy and sincere. Will definitely jump back on this with you when you’re older and we need to get moving around the living room.
Its fine, not my favorite, but fine 2.5/5
OKAY THREE ALBUMS BEHIND ARE ENOUGH SOLID 4!!! Definitely relistening to this one
R&B classic. Favorites: Secrets, If You Think You’re Lonely Now, Stand Up
7/10
4/10
This absolutely fucks man. Lyrical genius
Buen disco, buen ritmo y voz espectacular, me gustó!
Funky, soulful and pleasant.
- It's funky ..... and weird. The bass is amazing (as many others have noted). The lyrics are ..... cheesy and, sometimes, just bad. Doesn't age well but, hey that's not really uncommon ...... Not sure if the 2 acoustic tracks were on the original release but those were really cool to hear. I gonna go with a 3 on this one because it was cool and fun. -
Great album! Love me some Bobby Womack. Great soulful voice with a great level of grit, over groovy funky songs.
Just one brilliant straight ahead soul album. Amazing singer, songwriter, guitar player.
The Poet was a really good album. I always enjoy those soul albums that give off a lot of the same vibes as Stevie Wonder mainly with the music as they use all the same instruments in their music and the vocals. While i don't think Womack ever really goes all the way in the same way Stevie does, I still thought that this album was a really good listen. This was one of those albums that shined the brightest during the back half. The music here was great and i really liked Womack's vocals and in general, these songs were just some incredibly beautiful listens. There were a few points where it felt like the album was dragging but overall, it was still a great listen. Best Song: Where Do We Go From Here Worst Song: So Many Sides Of You
This is a catchy, sultry R&B and Soul album that successfully makes a mid-career Bobby Womack stand out in the '80s. There are, for sure, echoes of the '70s here, but everything is given a glossier coat of paint. Somehow, this approach is not distracting, and Bobby Womack is up to the challenge. His lyrics are at times sensual, fun, and tragic, and his voice is *incredibly* powerful. In short, he's a strong enough figure to take this from a good R&B album to a real stand out. So Many Sides Of You, Lay Your Lovin' On Me, and Where Do We Go From here are some of my favorites here. I give this a really strong 3, it's a *solid* album.
Fajne bardzo. Klimatyczne. Takie na 4 i do powtórzenia w wolnej chwili.
This is fun, got some good funk chops, but wears after a while. I'm too cynical for this much funk.
Not for me but more enjoyable than I thought it would be.
It was fine.
Not someone I had heard before. Liked it.
Je to pre mňa pop, čo si asi viac nepustim. Ale počúvateľný...
I would not say this is groundbreaking. Nevertheless, you can put it on and kill someone you care about maybe with a glass of white wine and it’s just easy to listen to.
Jeg vil like denne plata mer enn jeg gjør fordi Womack er kul, men denne sitter ikke helt.
Den her var helt klasse. Snuser på femmeren.
Helt ok soul, men altfor ensartet og pregløst til å forsvare enn plass på denne lista. Streng toer.
Making me feel some type of way. I'm at work sir...
Kentucky Fried Chicken.
None of the track really stuck out but it was an easy listen. Not my style
Works
Booby Womack? More like Bobby WoSLAPS. Idk. I really liked this one.
Good voice and great set of musicians but this is bland and unmemorable. The 80s production choices does it no favours either 2.5
Great vocal. Hard to dislike this. 3.5/5. Raising to 4.
bobby womack is awesome! such an incredible singer. the bass throughout the record was fyreee.
This album rules so hard. It’s sexy and fun. Funky and smooth. If I liked whiskey I imagine this is what it tastes like after a long day
The Poet is like a warm hug from the late 70s and early 80s, combining elements of R&B, funk, and soul. It makes for a smooth listen, and Womack's voice is more than up to the task. The Poet doesn't take many risks or push any boundaries, but it did help establish Bobby Womack in the new decade (something a lot other artists from the 60s and 70s struggled to do). I imagine that's enough for its inclusion in the 1001.
Enjoyed it as it's very much my type of music. It felt like a bit of a mess at times though, there are stronger albums in the same genre/s from the 70s/80s that ain't on this list.
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 (+0.5 for technical achievement, but rounded down for personal enjoyment) When I saw how low Underwater Moonlight by the Softboys was rated, I thought to myself, well, maybe it's time to nuke the world. Luckily, my access to the football has been delayed long enough for me to self-reflect and right my wrongs. I think, in a timeline where I was baptized in R&B rather than College Rock, I'd feel about The Poet there the way I do about Underwater Moonlight here. Undeniably, this is a tight album, front to back—every song has its own character but not without sacrificing its overall identity, it doesn't lose momentum until the last few songs (and even then, there was plenty I enjoyed about the last one), every song is probably a soul gem, it's funny, it's danceable, it's emotional, Bobby's got pipes... on and on. I think, were I another person, it'd be criminal to rank this lower than a four. All that said, in this timeline, I just didn't click with it, and I struggle with that given how objectively good it is. I don't know... something about this eighties style is just kind of cheesy to me, which is hypocritical, considering how much dated music I like (see Underwater Moonlight). More and more, I just have to accept that my music taste does not reflect objective goodness, and some things just aren't for me. That's not to say I don't really respect this one, or even that I liked none of what it had to offer—"Stand Up" was fantastic, and I'd listen to "Just my Imagination" and the last song again, for sure. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing
This was nice! Consistent, enjoyable, but nothing necessarily to write home about.
Album #201 Bobby Womack: The Poet Soul is a genre I heavily associate with the 70s, so some smooth soul with 80s production was a pretty fresh sound for me. The Poet presents some good tunes, and even some great ones, but it never feels like it’s doing anything new or too impressive. Not the kind of music that I would ever be annoyed at, but at the same time, there are artists that do the sound a lot better. Also interesting that he regards himself as a poet when the lyrics were potentially the weakest point of the album, kind of takes you out of it a bit when he starts going on about how finger-licking KFC is. Best Songs: If You Think You’re Lonely Now, So Many Sides Of You, Where Do We Go From Here Worst Song: Secrets Score out of 10: 6
yeah it's a funky situation we got going on here
Eeeeyuck
Mr Bobby has a wild story. No wonder he got into soul music. Marrying his friend Sam Cooke's wife 3 months after Sam Cooke was killed is a choice. But hey the man has talent!
Smoother than my regular thing, but works anyway.
It’s fine - it sounds quite dated, but I enjoyed it
banger
Just like some good old Kentucky Fried Chicken And all of it was good enough to be finger lickin′ Bit of a coked-up mess?
What a wonderful way to start my day! The energy alone is worth 2 stars! But I'm giving it 4 (last 2 songs dragged and brought the whole mood down)
it was cool pretty chill and cool
Maybe a touch too cheesy to leave a great impression, but it’s an enjoyable, funky album with some good rhythm and good vibes. Not bad; not super memorable. Favorite: Secrets 3-3.5
700 albums in and I can confidently say that Dimery is pretty clueless about Soul and R&B. Listen, I've been regularly critical of his failure to include black artists on the list. And after a week of XTC, Susanna Vega, and Fairport Convention, I'm grateful for any blast of soul I can get. But the 13th studio release from Bobby Womack?? To start, 1980 was not the high water mark of the genre; everyone was severely hung over from disco which was a whitewashing of the (GREAT and wholly unrepresented here) Philly Soul sound of the early 70s. But even for 1980's R&B, this album is nothing special - an Adult Oriented Contemporary album meant to be played in dentist's offices and elevators. I can forgive anyone for not having personal experience with a genre. But if you hold yourself out as a musical historian, you should do SOME research instead of just adding an album that your favorite aunt used to listen to (or whatever random experience put this album on this list.) If I want this late-70s / early 80s experience, I'm going for the Duke by Q, Luther Vandross' debut, Diana from Ms. Ross, Chaka or Naughty from Ms. Khan, any of the five (!) studio albums released between 76 - 80 by the Commodores (but especially In the Pocket), Teasing' from Cornell Dupree, Bad Girls by Donna Summer; hell, I'd even go All Things in Time from Lou Rawls before Bobby Womack. NONE of these artists have appeared among the 700 or so I've heard so far. Future Shock from Herbie Hancock should definitely be on the list as well. I've come to feel like Dimery should have humbled himself, stuck to his lane, and just compiled a list of the 750 British albums everyone should hear before they die.
Very soulful and quite enjoyable.
I enjoy most stuff of a funk / soul / disco nature. But I did not like this. It’s just too cheesy-pie. It really rubbed me up the wrong way somehow. I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
Decent.
Smooth like peanut butter and cheesier than Velveeta.
Bobby Womack with the voice as smooth as butter
Great album.
Fine enough!
I think you have to be less miserable than I am to really like this, especially on a rainy week
I like a lot of stuff like this but for whatever reason this one didn’t land. Cool voice though
alright
I didn’t enjoy this. I just wanted it to be over. Not for me.
A fitting album for a sunny day. Would be even better to listen to it while slow dancing with a drink in my hand…
Not for me really.
Not a fan of this kind of slow soul sound
It's certainly dated, but it's got a lot of charm. Smoother than a botoxed testicle.
I'm not a fan of 80s soul. How it increased the pop vibe, threw in a tad of funk and diluted the identity it had in the 60s and 70s. This album sounds like a pre-cursor to artists such as Alexander O'Neil and Luther Vandross and it does very little for me. So Many Sides Of You is OK and If You Think You're Lonely Now is the most soulful, and also strangely upbeat for a song that's about someone being dumped! Not bad enough for the lone star, but definitely not more than 2.
A soul and funk album that is perfectly fine to listen to. Personally I felt like it was a little generic. Perhaps that is my untrained ear or maybe it is because I cant appreciate soul as well as other types of music. But it doesn't feel as smooth, fun and fresh as someone like Solomon Burke. And hasn't got the soul of someone like Aretha Franklin. Overall it was absolutely fine. (2.250)
Enjoyable funky one today. Definitely a vibe. Glad to have heard it.
Not a bad album to reach for if it’s sexy time and you totally forgot the names Isaac Hayes, Barry White, Bill Withers, and Marvin Gaye.
There’s a party feel to this soul, which really works.
It was some fun the first half but I was growing tired of it by the end. Rating: 2.5
#414 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ I like Bobby Womack, but I don't like early 80's pop music. This was so much steeped in the 80's stuff that the soul bit tastes wrong. I genuinely had problems listening to this album all the way through. Indifferent 2/5
Great find. For my vote, I'd choose either So Many Sides of You or Stand Up as the best cuts, but the hit is If You Think You're Lonely Now ... which is okay. Great vocals, excellent guitar work and an overall good listen.
Favorite track(s): Lay Your Lovin' on Me, Stand Up, If You Think You're Lonely Now
So many Sides of You - nice groove
A little bit like voice first songs second. Womack's range is amazing but the songs and arrangements are a tad samey. Lay your lovin on me is an excellent song though on what is a short album.
Starts really strongly and falls away a bit around the middle, but still a solid album.
Bobby Womack's soul and legend shines through on this album. Just listen to it. If you're a lover of Sam Cooke then you already know, but if not you're going to love it.
Bobby can sing. Bobby can play guitar. Bobby ain’t a poet … lol
One for slap bass aficionados
funky, groovy, and lovely. i liked this album. his voice and the background singers are a big part of it too as well as the bass guitar.
Don’t have much to say. Didn’t grab me but it was kinda cool. I now have 110th street stuck in my head though which isn’t actually on this album.
I dont have enough crackers for all this 80s cheese. Maybe ill check out some of his earlier stuff. Or a bottle of cab.
Tiene un ritmo interesante, es disfrutable, no mucho más que decir
This is ok, that kind of r&b / funk type of thing is not my bag, but it’s not awful
I would have preferred it with less harp
The only Bobby Womack track I knew prior to this was Across 110th Street, which I liked. I liked this a lot too. He has a great voice.
Some glitzy, shiny '80s soul that's just straight up ear-candy, no bells and whistles. No out-of-place beat, tone, or note - just consistently enjoyable to the point where I don't really mind that it doesn't ever get too ambitious or out there. It's a kind of "get what you paid for" album. 'Just My Imagination', despite sounding overly '80s in its melody and progression, was maybe my favorite thing here. I loved the slower balladry, alongside the weighty piano chords driving the song along. So pristine. 'Stand Up' was maybe the most outwardly funky song here, at least in that traditional Parliament warbly Bootsy bass style, a nice change in pace near the middle of the record. 'If You Think You're Lonely Now' is another top-tier '80s soul cut, just so smooth, and those backing melodies and swelling instrumentation are absolutely perfect. The definition of easy listening. Smooth like butter, and soothing in a way only this type of music can be. Shout out to Womack.
I don't know and haven't tried to find out why he named this record the way he did but I hope he didn't name it after himself.
It's fine, but a bit boring. 2 Top track: if you think you're lonely now
Has some value but I really don’t care for this.
This is exactly what coke should do to a musician. A jumbled and messy assortment of love songs by Bobby Womack. Some are soulful, some are dance songs and the only common trait is that they're all bangers.
Very fun album to listen to, beautiful singing and beats loved it all
First 4 songs were all time bangers 5/5 come on big up etc. the other 4 songs were OK, bit slow but not bad. It's between a 3 and a 4, and I'm gonna go for a 3 because my scores have been too high recently. Sorry love
Great in parts, let down by a few weaker songs 4*
Pleasant enough.
Not bad, just not for me.
The funk is strong with this one. A lot of really great tracks. Stand Up was a fave. I also really enjoyed the slow jam, If You Think You're Lonely Now. Not an instant add for me like Chic, but a classic nonetheless.
1: 4/5 , 2: 4/5 , 3: 4/5 , 4: 3,5/5 , 5: 4/5, 6: 4/5 , 7: 4/5, 8 : 4/5. The first ones are my favorite. I should make a playlist with this type of music, mix it with some I’ve already rated
Bobby's outfit on the cover is tremendous; the tunes are great but not memorable .
Great soul vibes. Hard to be in a bad mood listening to this.
I thought I’d like this more than I did. Fun sound in the beginning but got boring really fast
Took me back to being a child in the back seat of the car. Really enjoyed this Album, very well produced and his voice is still unbeaten today.
Not bad, it just doesn't stand out from the crowd
Jammed to this. Also dope suit, I want one.
So much soul, so much funk, so much cocaine.
I don’t know that I would call this poetry but it is definitely perfection
Does this do anything new or original with the genre? This feels like the kind of generic soul music a man in a sitcom puts on after ignoring all of his wife's needs and desire for years, forgetting an anniversary, then buying flowers and cooking her the one and only meal he knows how to cook (that he assumes is her favorite, but she thinks is mid) as an apology - and somehow she forgives everything and they are more in love than ever before. Some of the lyrics are funny, though.
Now don't get me wrong, this is a good album. Performances are very good from everyone involved, songwriting is tight and the arrangements are clean. Very singable tunes on this thing. So I really enjoyed it, as I have before. Maybe it's cuz The Poet is his most successful album (I think?), but honestly I feel like Bobby Womack's 70s offerings would have been more indicative of his sound generally. It's definitely present here, but the kinda classic soul thing is more evolved. Lotta synth and slap bass that would have before been a slightly more acoustic sound. Not a bad thing, just seems like most of his career wasn't this specific sound.
Not for me so hard to rate. I could be convinced it's brilliant.
muito incrível esse álbum, adoro um blues, e esse artista é maravilhoso. gostei de todas as tracks, mas a favorita é "games". vocais perfeitos e solos de se admirar.
Great production. Solid songwriting overall. Not my cup of tea. 80s R&B is an interesting thing though.
Groovy Bobby
This was pretty fun and easy to listen to
I liked it a little bit more than most of the cheesy quiet storm genre. Maybe a little more soulful? Why it matters: The Poet was Bobby Womack’s comeback record and one of the albums that helped define the smooth, emotionally direct “quiet storm” style that dominated R&B radio in the 1980s and influenced neo-soul decades later. Its centerpiece, “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” became a genre template for conversational breakup songs and late-night slow jams. The album isn’t especially famous outside R&B circles, but it’s a key link between classic 1970s soul and the sound that artists like Luther Vandross, Keith Sweat, Maxwell, and D’Angelo would later build upon.
3.5 stars. Like this well enough. Smooth R&B.
Some smooth and sexy soul for a hot summers morning, driving with the windows down.
Very pleasant soulful tunes!
Tight music and grooves but something is off - i like soul and funk but this feels out of place somehow
this is clearly a great album, with excellent musicianship; I would have enjoyed it more if it had been just a bit rawer, if it had just a bit more grit to it; as it stands,its defining feature - the incredibly smooth, refined sound - is also a bit it's limit.
Groovy, funky and smooth, some great lines, some great soul. Loved the backing vocals. But for gods sake, can atleast one song not be about love & heartbreak? Is there nothing else to sing about Bobby? Don't you have any hobbies? Other emotions? Idk, maybe I'm just a bitter single soul, but seriously.. the only song that strays away from that trope is Stand up, so I guess I will give him a bit of credit. But legit every other song.. The lyrics are about the same damn thing, just with different adjectives. Bobby got too crazy with the thesaurus here, and I got tired of it after my 2nd listen. I don't think I'd be as annoyed as I am if the lyrics and backing instruments weren't so in your face about it.
Not great but not bad
Smooth maybe, but easy to forget it’s playing (or that you played it). Took the soul & funk of the 60s & 70s, a good start, then smothered it. It seemed to be the thing to do in the late 70s & early 80s though, so he was definitely not alone. And the formula also seemed to work for a lot of folks. Just not me.
Top top
Soul and funk are two of my favourite music genres, so I quite like this album 😊 Four stars…
Didn’t like this very much.
I’m very much not the target audience for this. It has its moments but sounds a bit soulless at times for a soul album. I like the talky bits.
Reminds of my time playing with the Soulebrities; same voice, tight arrangements, great backing band.
I was surprised to discover that Bobby Womack's voice was familiar to me — that fashionable man in a lavender suit staring at us from the cover sings on one of Gorillaz's most popular songs, "Stylo." And he's on there because "The Poet" is Damon Albarn's favorite album. Bobby had a very uneven career: everything was fine in the early '70s, then there was a strange phase of experimenting with country music, three albums in a row that flopped, problems with drugs, and it's sheer luck that this record, released on an indie label about which you can barely find any information these days, became a hit. Why this is so is a mystery. The songs are good, well-played, some danceable funk, some romantic soul, enjoyable to listen to, but nothing special. He was never able to replicate this success again; perhaps it was just providence.
Et bien, c'était plutôt sympathique ! Je connais pas trop le genre, mais c'est sorti en 1981 et ça se sent bien, surtout quand tu as droit à un petit solo de saxo qui va bien ! Bon, comme je le disais, c'est pas un genre avec lequel je suis familier, mais fondamentalement, j'ai trouvé ça fort sympathique. Il faut aimer les sonorités d'époque, mais c'était cool.
One of those albums that immediately put me in my place as far as expectations going in are concerned. Barely had a couple seconds to think that 70's soul isn't really my thing before So Many Sides of You barrels in as an absolute banger. Games is another fantastic cut from this thing. Of course, there are some songs on here that aren't hitting too hard for me like Stand Up, but this album is just warm and full, with Womack's amazing vocals. Don't know if I'm even surprised it's this good, but yeah.
First listen
I think one thing I've learned on this music listening journey is that I really like soul and funk. Solid album.
Discoisch plain soul. Bit boring.
3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/bobby-womack/the-poet-2/ Another ‘not for me’ album. Can enjoy it to a certain extent, but at some point I get bored. Some songs do really stand out from the rest tho, so for the short runtime it’s enjoyable enough
It's ok
It’s ok
absolutely magical
I do like this one a lot, very groovy
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: None I don't think I care much for this. I found myself humming some of the melodies and beats, but its basically an album entirely about women and romance. At some points it feels creepy and contrived. I really did not like that flat, weirdly out of tune "sound" (dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun) played periodically over the course of Just My Imagination. Evokes images of a bad drug trip... or you know... your mind playing tricks on you. Or maybe clowns. Anyways, did my two listens and that's about as much as I plan to invest in this.
Some really fun bass lines in this. Not something I’ll likely revisit too often but I kinda enjoyed it.
I think maybe I've heard the name Bobby Womack before?? I liked every song on this album, I actually listened to the album 2 times back to back.
4.25 - I thought Bobby Womack was a female folk singer... this was great.
I feel bad for never having heard of Bobby Womack before this. That first song, "So Many Sides of You" was a great tone setter.
Quite bog standard soul I'd say. If you like this sort of thing you'd like this but we have listened to enough soul albums that I can confidently say I don't. He does have a good voice and it's a fair example of the genre but not for me.
None of the songs hit the heights of Across 110th Street. Which is a bewildering, astronomical jump from this pretty solid, mid-but-not-middling soul album. Quite enjoyed it though, If You Think You're Lonely Now was a standout, reminded me of Trapped In The Closet, from R Kelly. Remember that? Secrets is good too. I feel I should probably give this a 3, but something tells me to knock it up one, it is rather fun.
That's a soul album alright.... It's fine, but not my thing. Across 110th street is the only of his I was aware of, and nothing here convinced me there was any reason to seek more out
I used to get cornered by a dude who called himself ‘the poet.’ He’d make up a really quick bullshit couplet and then ask for payment. He saved my life once though when I was being chased through the night by some ex-convicts who were feeling rapey. He appeared from an alley and started rhyming. When the convicts saw him, they figured it was worth it more to give up a knifepoint fuck than have to listen to the poet. I wonder if he was Bobby Womack.
I've heard better soul albums
Before this, I only knew of Bobby Womack in his old age through Gorillaz. I’ve always liked his voice, so getting to hear him in his prime is fun. This is a very tight album, the keys and bass are great (naturally), and I love how emotive his voice can get. The arrangements are cool, and I like the storytelling in the lyrics, but it’s a very straightforward album of love songs. It’s a great listen, but not much to dissect beyond that. Favorite track: So Many Sides of You
This is nice. Weird that I know Just My Imagination while it wasn't a single. It's a silly sounding song though.
Before this I only knew Bobby Womack from his work with Gorillaz. His two tracks were probably my favourites on Plastic Beach so I was looking forward to it. This was a really good album. Love his voice and there’s not a bad song on it. It’s just missing something for me to give it top marks
Good soul album. It's missing some standout songs and the production that made earlier soul music so great. Still not a bad album though. 3/5 Might listen again
I didn't realise Bobby Womack had died more than 20 years ago, I think because I think that Gorillaz track he guested on was pretty recent when in fact it came out in 2010. This was a nice chilled listen but also not particularly memorable.
Album so damn good that i had to listened to the sequel
Genuinely had to check this was the same, grizzled, battle scarred, Bobby Womack I’ve listened to and enjoyed in the past. I hadn’t realised he had such a slick phase. I don’t think it suits him.
It didn’t click with me.
I think I'd have enjoyed these songs if they were on a sixties soul album, but like apparently everything in the early eighties, the production and arrangements do nothing for me. Tinny, artificial and cheesy. Most of the songs felt as though they could have been the soundtrack to an embarrassing sex scene in an eighties action movie.
Worth listening to for sure. Nothing really good or bad enough to write more about.
Yeah, pretty good album. Good voice. Groovy. What more do you need? Better than most in the genre.
Some nice soul for a Sunday morning, I particularly liked the songs that leaned into funk Favorite Track - Stand-Up Least Favorite Track - Where Do We Go From Here ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Funky and fun!
Ein paar starke Soul‑Momente, aber als Gesamtwerk zu glatt und zu einförmig - ja fast langweilig. Die Produktion ist warm und typisch frühe 80er‑Soul, doch viele Songs bleiben erstaunlich blass. Selbst wenn „If You Think You’re Lonely Now“ heraussticht, trägt der Rest des Albums diese Qualität nicht durch. Womacks Stimme ist wie immer kraftvoll, aber das Material wirkt oft formelhaft und ohne echte Überraschung.
Pretty decent album nothing super crazy, but decent
Sometimes this is all you need in an album. Just a reeeal smooth, wonderful vibe of a record. He's got a great voice, and the instruments and production are just well on-point. I very much enjoyed this and will re-visit it!
Very nice!!
I like Bonny Womack but I’ve only listened to his 60s/70s stuff before. This album feels a bit too polished and overproduced. It’s still good but he’s done way better
His thirteenth album. Funk / Soul. So Many Sides Of You is a very nice opening track, I like that bass. Very smooth vocals throughout the album. It is somewhat of a cliche, dim the lights and get it on album. The production is tight and the arrangements good. Perfect backing vocals for the type of album. Smooth 80s cheese.
This was alright
Hammer geiles Album! Das werde ich mir merken, was ein toller Sound und Gesang
schöne und angenehme Musik, sehr entspannt. Fehlt aber das gewisse Extra. schwer zu beschreiben.
Sehr starkes Album, so chillig
It's smooth enough and pleasant to listen to, but every song sounds the same
It’s a smooth jam. Not much else to say though
Just My Imagination stood out. Easy listening, but it will make you move. 3/5
Bobby Womack's most consistent oeuvre, he sounds as soulful and funky as ever. Definitely a worthy inclusion. 9/10 [KEEP]
I get that this may have been important for Bobby Womack, but it's just your average 70's R&B/Soul album. It's good music, but nothing to hold it apart from other acts. My Rating: 3/5
razmišljao sam o tome da dam trojku jer se s tehničke strane nema što zamjeriti ovomu albumu, no ne znam, uživanje mi je bilo apsolutno nikakvo. kao nekakav stereotipni prikaz crnačke glazbe ovog vremena, sasvim bezvezeno i mjestimice dosta naporno. svaka pjesma kao da traje deset puta dulje
4.
Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5
Not some legendary album or anything. Kinda generic.
The Poet por Bobby Womack me deu uma boa perspectiva das coisas, visto que o histórico e história por traz da vida dele antes desse álbum é interessante para entender mais sobre a obra. Após ter perdido o filho pequeno, irmão E lutando contra o vício em drogas, se viu no fundo do poço, pois ninguém queria apostar nele, e olha só, a gravadora pequena apostou e foi um sucesso. A música mais famosa do álbum é "If You Think You're Lonely Now", achei a vibe bem gostosinha mas gostei principalmente de "Secrets" e "Just My imagination". Um álbum que vai de dançante para um soul mais melodico e lento, com bons solos e vocais!
I had only heard Bobby Womack's features with Gorillaz and I didn't know what to expect with this one. As it is, it's a pretty solid funk album with some light '80s production thrown in. Bobby's vocals are powerful and demanding, and it's the kind of album that you want to listen to as soon as it's over.
Easy listening with great vocals and a classic sound. The songs are mostly forgettable and not too unique, with quite cheesy lyrics and production. Favorite songs: Just My Imagination, Lay Your Lovin’ On Me
Pretty good.
I think there's a time and mood that would make this a 5/5. Grading student essays is not the time or mood. It was still a very nice listening experience.
Such a good voice. The big song on this album I thought may have been one of the weaker ones…. I liked the first couple of tracks the best
Funky songs
This is a very smooth album. Funky. Decent 3.3/5
it's fine
“I can't sleep at night, when you're on my mind Bobby Womack's on the radio Saying to me, "If you think you're lonely now" Wait a minute this is too deep (too deep) I gotta change the station” Thanks Mariah. Frankly his batshit deranged personal life is far more interesting (and unsettling) than this album is but the music is smooth yet distant and not absorbing. Not interesting. It’s left my mind as quickly as it entered it.
It’s okay, but nothing really caught me
Egentligt ok inden for R&B genren. Album fra 1981, blev snydt af, at Spotify har 2021 stående som udgivelsesår. Var først imponeret over den tidløse lyd, men det er jo så ikke tilfældet. Lille 3'er-
4/5 excelente me gustó muchísimo. Canción fav "so many sides of You"
Bobby sounds great, these songs aren’t especially my thing but I enjoy hearing him.
Me cuesta este rollo pero estará bien seguro.
Really enjoyable pop and funk infused Motown.
Not sure I've ever heard of Bobby Womack but so far it feels pretty funky. I liked it, not my favorite but had some good grooves. Solid 3.5.
gee willikers this was fun to listen too
Decent soulful blues but nothing crazy.
Wow. 8 songs and they are all perfect. I loved it so much, I read up on his whole life story. I gotta say, where's the movie version? Onto the album, his voice is so chockful of soul, backing vocals so tastefully done, and THAT BASS!! Whoever played bass was a genius
Really good! Similar to Robert Cray
Very fun to listen to. Entertaining. He is absolutely talented.
Not terrible but unsure why it’s on this list. It’s average at best, music must have been lacking in 81
I listened 3 times, but I have to say no song on there was memorable. I think I will forget about this album shortly.
Dançante, boa de ouvir.
Incredible voice
I enjoyed it well enough but not something I’ll probably be listening to much going forward.
Vem sa att det inte gjordes bra soul på 80talet? Perfekt soul post disco med en touch av Philly, slickt med en massa blod och förstås löjligt välspelat. Bara "Just my imagination" är kanske i smetigaste laget, men annars vet Bobby precis vad han sysslor med. Särskilt dom tre spåren skrivna tillsammans med Jim Ford är lysande. Jag gillar det här skarpt, stabil fyra till Bobby
Bobby som sångare, musiker, arrangör och producent briljerar. Låtarna är egentligen inte så märkvärdiga, men det är hans utförande som gör att de lyfter. A-sidan är stark. B-sidan är lite balladtung och drar ner mitt betyg från fyra till stark trea.
Jag gillar det här soundet. Lite skön slick soul. Det finns många som går fel vid den här tiden men Bobby fixar det bra. Sen är tyvärr låtmaterialet lite för svagt. Skivan är trevlig att ha på men man rycks sällan med.
Det är snyggt och Bobby sjunger fantastiskt. Flera riktigt bra låtar. Det är egentligen bara Stand up som faller ur ramen. Den låter mer som ett albumspår från någon Rick James-skiva än ett Womack-låt. De avslutande tre spåren, Games, If You Think Your Lonely Now och Where do we go from here är soul av yppersta klass. Stark fyra, nära femman.
Starts groovy, gets more soul. I like it, but I did space out for a while
So smooth and damn sexy. Need to hear this on vinyl in an expensive apartment
3 A nice listen, nothing special though and feels quite dated
Liked the vibe.
no notes, this is everything
A great one, bangers and bops 4
So smooth
A bit more lush and energetic than most soul, so I kinda liked it. Still just very mid and not memorable. Not much else to say. It’s fine.
I don’t think I know any of his songs? Immediately here for the vibe. … learning some lore where he worked closely with Sam Cooke then married his widow months after he died 😂 jfc Stand Up. If you think you’re lonely now. Where do we go from here? Great vibes all around.
It started off really well but then I quickly realised it's a tad overproduced for my taste and this kind of early 80s, polished, too cheesy production is not for me. The songs are good, and I appreciate the talent, but I was a bit disappointed with this one, as it's one of those albums that hasn't aged that well.
Some really great songs on here, but the opening track and "If You Think You're Lonely Now" are really bad. Difficult to see why the latter was a hit. The closing track is also annoying. However, the other five tracks range from fantastic to listenable, and the album is only 40 minutes. 2.5/5.0: Mixed
fun listen
smoooth & funky.. picks: if you think you are lonely now, secrets
I never know how to describe this kind of music. Turns out it's rnb. A lot of instruments and guitar and back vocals it's nice. I liked "Stand Up" and "Games". Didn't finish, but it was a nice neutral listen.
On the cusp of 70s/80s soul - it's better where it falls on the 70s side like Stand Up which is great, really funky. I quite liked Secrets - comparing his girl's secrets to the Colonel's chicken recipe or his mum's apple pie. Just My Imagination has a really weird country vibe with a spooky sound in the chorus. Odd. He's got a great voice, even when singing nonsense.
Þetta er óttalegt sull. Hljóðfæraleikurinn er hins vegar mjög góður.
Really enjoyed the funk, jazz, R&B, and 80s of it all. His voice is silky smooth and I loved the backing singers. Really hit me with nostalgia for a time that I wasn't even alive. Minus one for the songs being too long :)
An absolute gem