The Poet

I have a natural appreciation for funk and soul, so I really enjoyed this. It's my first time actively listening to Bobby Womack, so I approached this from various angles throughout a handful of early morning listens. The guitar is a stand out character on the musical composition of this, the display of talent is appreciated, and crosses really well with his vocals which often feel like well executed guitar screeches themselves. Nothing too harsh ever, this is a smooth listen, maybe just a little overproduced. I'm not as impressed lyrically on a project titled "The Poet" which concerns me, though I can appreciate how well written the pieces are, and how virtually the entire track list was written by him. Still, not feeling like a "must listen", though I'm very glad I did. 3.4/5

Love some Bobby Womack. Always solid R&B and timeless

I can appreciate the quality of music and production, but this is not my usual kind of music.

Perfect for easy listening at the weekend

A good solid album.

It was ok, and I imagine that it has a place in the right circumstances, but this did not meet my Monday morning energy boost requirements

Pretty solid album enjoyed it but not life changing for me

Very 70s-80s smooth r&b kind of album. Was alright, not outstanding for me. 3*

Kinda fun but also kinda annoying. I'm just not the crowd for funk.

хорош бобби, хорош

5/10 - I liked this album as something to have on in the background. I wouldn’t seek this out but if I was having a dinner party and wanted something with good vibes in the background, this would fit the bill.

Good vibes but also kinda cheesy and dated. Wouldn't listen again but it's also not that offensive. 5/10

Perfectly fine but nothing special at all

6/10… soul / funk / *1981

It might be Just My Imagination, but I’d say the Secrets are out on this album.

nice

oof... here I thought I might be listening to "Across 110th Street" and other solid 60s/70s soul and instead I get this. It sounds like all the synthy, smooth jazz shit that soul became in the 80s. Why *this* album?? Maybe this is on here because it started that terrible trend? IDK, it wasn't great.

Such a vibe. Would listen to again.

His comeback album after uneven output late 70’s. Feels a couple years ahead of its time.

5/10 Largely forgettable. Funky in its way, but lacks anything I could hook into

Not his best but it's OK and "If You Think You're Lonely Now" is a powerful banger 3.9

It hasn’t nostalgic feel and for that reason I’ll give it a three but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

5/5. Loved it

This is pretty solid all the way through. I have to be in a specific mindset to listen to this genre for a sustained album length period of time. There weren't any tracks that stood out to me on first listen that made me want to put them in a more frequent rotation but might just need to give it another chance.

being the zillennial I am, I only knew two things about Bobby Womack before listening to this. first, I knew that he was one of the featured artists on "Stylo", one of my favorite Gorillaz songs. (Damon Albarn, the musical mind behind the Gorillaz, also produced Womack's final album, The Bravest Man in the Universe, released two years before his death.) second, I knew (or, was reminded) that he's also the guy behind "Across 110th Street", the title song for the blaxploitation film of the same name, but even more popular for its use in the iconic opening credits of Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Womack's career in music spanned over six decades and produced quite a few hit songs, but for whatever reason, I feel like I don't hear his name come up too often in conversations about soul or R&B music these days. The Poet, Womack's 13th studio album, was a major critical and commercial bounce-back for him after several LPs of ill-fitting diversions into country music and disco. the A-side takes it back to the fundamentals of soul Womack made himself known for in the first place, with some additional flourishes of smooth, synth-laden production now that it was the 80s (check out the funky A-side closer "Stand Up"). most of the material here consists of a set of smoky love songs that tenderly showcase Womack's dynamic, robust tenor. there's a small choir of backing vocalists in the mix as well, which sometimes comes off a little corny; in my mind, Womack's pleading riffs on tracks like "Lay Your Lovin' on Me" or the slow-burning "Games" are more than sufficient to carry a track on their own, but I guess Womack's producer brain convinced him he needed some "shooby-doo-wah" business. on the positive end (and as a fellow saxophonist), I feel obligated to shout out Fernando Harkless, who gets a few nice opportunities to add some extra smoothness to the proceedings. I tend to prefer the more raw presentation of 70s soul to this lighter "quiet storm" approach that really took hold of the airwaves in the 80s, but Womack's voice (not to mention the bluesy guitar work he laces throughout this album) deserves to be witnessed. decent 7/10.

weibliche tina turner elevator c

I really liked this album. I had heard a few of these songs previously but did not know the artist. Not really the type of music that I normally listen to but I enjoyed the entire album. Maybe 1 or 2 duds (for me) but otherwise this is an album that I would listen to again

a fun listen, just didn't grab me much. some of the songs went on a bit long

As with many artists in this project, I had heard OF Bobby Womack but don't remember ever actually listening to Bobby Womack. This was OK. I don't listen to a lot of soul.

It was soulful and good listening.

How can something released in the year it was sound both 80s and dated (as in feel like a 50s (album). There's always been a market for this bland, lady-pleasing pseudo dunk, but why is it on this list? The guy can sing. It's passable chart music. Nothing bad. Nothing great. Just like a billion other songs you've heard.

Oooouf, c’est skibidi-funky ça, j’y reviens c’est sûr, pour l’heure un fort 4 semble approprié, mais jsuis sûr dans un mois je reviens changer pour un 5

I won't go too hard on this, because according to Rolling Stone Germany, it is "one of the outstanding soul albums of the 80s." Now, of all the outlets in the world, why the Wikipedia page would choose to include a quote from a German magazine - about American soul music - is confusing, suspicious, and hilarious. Speaking of confusing, suspicious and hilarious, the Wikipedia page taught me that Billboard once had a chart called "Hot Black Singles." I promise you that I have googled that phrase more than once in my life and the results have *not* been music charts.

Love his voice. Album sounds a bit dated. I love Stand Up.

Great soul singing, a groove, but the songs don’t seem all that memorable. I guess titles can’t be copyrighted but I was looking forward to a cover with “Just My Imagination”. No such luck but that’s what I’m adding to my Generator playlist.

Vibey, but it didn’t leave a mark on me as much as i hoped it would. Low 4?

Meh

25/02/2026 I actually really enjoyed this album, it was a good listen. Spotify listeners: 1.9 million

This was quite a bit more funky than I expected, given my limited prior exposure to this artist.

Not bad.

Let’s get it on? Let’s turn it off

Tough deciding between a 3 and 4 for this. I need that apple pie recipe from Secrets.

Solid album, great sound, great lyrics, enjoyed listening. On the cheesier side, but it works. Mellow but I still want to dance, overall easy listening but not so impactful. Favorite song: Stand up

This is real music. Not the bs I kept getting in a row that definitely shouldn't be on this generator.

Very smooth, very perfect, very catchy - and a bit boring

"The Poet" is a soul album with distinct gospel and R&B influences. Of note is a strong backing band, where something is always going on. Of particular significance a thumping bass, energetic piano and lush choir. It is limited in that Womack's gravelly, raw vocals are not on the level of the soul greats, and it shows it's age in cheesy spoken word parts and straight-up bizarre lyrics (see "Secrets" for a great example), which makes some of the love songs seems insincere. A decent album which has its flourishes, but one that shows it's age all the same.

It's good and I had a good time but I don't know enough about soul to know if it's significantly good or just normal good. 6/10

Baby making music. Very, very good Baby Making Music Best Song: If You Think You're Lonely Now Rating: 9.0/10 Stars: 5/5

After a week of awful suggested albums, I'm finally back to listening to good music. Lord, what a beautiful voice... and you know what? It's not overpowered by the instrumental, it flows with it. The backing vocals are placed so perfectly in the mix that they blend right in and sound like another instrument, complementing the keyboard and guitar instead of competing with them. This is exactly what I mean when I say you don't need lyrics full of arabesques to make something great. This is just solid work. That first note on Secrets hit me and I knew, this was the album. It's like the cool father of Silk Sonic, no question. The voice just flows higher and lower effortlessly with the melody. Like he says in the lyrics, "China Silk can't match it" that's the energy. This man has serious control. Listen to Just My Imagination, he organizes his vocals so well to match what the song needs, never overshadowing the bigger picture. One thing I'm sure of: he loves talking about love, hear those ballads. Some well done groove, reminds me of some early disco tracks. this is what soul music should feel like, effortless confident.He wasn't trying to impress anyone with tricks, he just let his voice sit right in the pocket and trusted the music. And it worked.

I found this passable but uninventive and Womack’s voice on its own wasn’t enough to get me going. Wears his ego on his shoulder on some of the tracks. Had hoped for better.

First thing to call out is I have very little knowledge of this artist, position or wider context for the genre. To me though its a pleasant comfort blanket of sound. Its warm and easy listening. I guess the catch for me was it just blended too easily into the background. It did have variation but to be honest I barely registered it maybe with exception of "Stand Up" as that finally gets a major injection of energy and twisted style. I respect the talent of this but never really goes beyond the average engagement overall.

This is a good recording of some great funk and soul. Not a lot to fault here in terms of musical delivery and the production sounds really good. My issue with this genre is that, although many individual songs are bangers, they all sort of just blend into one. I feel like I have heard this album a dozen times before. Regardless of the evident talent, it seems that most artists in this genre stay within a clearly defined box. That might be a true statement for most genres, but I guess in this case the box isn't one that connects with me.

Alright soul funk. Not my thing, but nothing to complain about

Nothingburger. Nije lose.

En los 80 a Bobby Womack se le metió en la cabeza que el soul no estaba muerto, así que se encargó de ponerle unas gotitas de R&B y, a remolque de las producciones disco que estaban en auge por aquel entonces, nos regaló un álbum que ahora no nos parece muy original, pero és Què se ha imitado hasta la extenuación. Tampoco Womack partía de planteamientos súper originales (mención aquí a Stevie Wonder) pero este disco mantiene esa cohesión de estilo que lo hacen referente para miles de producciones, sobre todo en los 80.

Meh. What is this? Fusion, funk? Not for me unfortunately

Comfort food funk/soul. Did this change the game or blow my mind? No it didn’t, but it didn’t really need to. It was enjoyable with solid grooves and great vocals. Favorite songs were Lay Your Lovin’ On Me, Secrets, and If You Think You’re Lonely Now.

Super! Very nice music and voice!

Somewhat dated

Just like some good old Kentucky Fried Chicken, not all of it was good enough to be finger lickin' (the lyrics to Secrets are definitely finger lickin'). It's a bit of a poor man's Al Green/Barry White. Better guitar work, a little more blues than soul, and then there's the lyrics. Wow. Influence 2. Quality 4. Intangibles 3. Hits 2. I want to give this a 3* because the lyrics made me laugh out loud 3.

Fantastic, first track pulled me right in.

7.3

Pretty great groove overall, but many songs felt a bit forgettable and too similar to others. Also many went on far too long and seemed like they were just milking it because Bobby Womack is this big famous guy who can do whatever he wants. Not to discredit this, because a lot of these are very catchy and have wonderful lead and background vocals. Simply it wasn’t as special or unique and feels like I will forget about most of these pretty soon. Still the groove was there and it was fun to listen to.

Nice and funky, but I don't have the endurance for a full album of it. Great for a couple songs, but then I am mostly waiting for it to be over. It wasn't even a very long album.

sympathique j’ai passé un bon moment

Ok

Very nice R'N'B-album with tiny tunes and melodies.

Excellent album front to back. Masterfully put together.

Ok listen

This album is so groovy and so much fun. I really enjoyed it. It had plenty of changes throughout and was very interesting to listen to. The mix sounds soooo good and clear. This was solid. Liked Songs: "So Many Sides Of You" , "Lay Your Lovin' On Me" , "Secrets" , "Just My Imagination" , "Stand Up" , "Games" , "Where Do We Go From Here"

4.25

If You Think You're Lonely Now

Groovy tunes fun but not over the top. 3.5/5

Pretty decent and chill. 3.5

Not his best work but far from his worst. Very good as long as you are ok with its overall 80’s sound.

I really liked this album I think the songs were very enjoyable

A real yearner

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵 is a good, confident soul album, but it’s hard not to compare it to 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘯 — and Bobby Womack simply isn’t Marvin Gaye. His voice has grit and character, yet the record never reaches that same emotional or conceptual weight. Still, there’s enough smooth, well-crafted material here to make it a solid listen, even if it falls short of greatness.

Funk/soul. Pretty good.

Buenísssssimo. Nunca había escuchado al Bobby y según tengo entendido este disco no es ni de su época más clásica pero goddamn. Divertidísimo. 80s af, lo cual entiendo que pueda sacar a alguna peña pero a mi me entró perfe. Todo buenos temas, buenas vibras, buenos grooves, un vozarrón tremendo, buen disco para bailarlo o para que los boomers hiciesen cochinadas i guess.

Decent. There were some really cool hooks in some of the songs. The bass player was fantastic. Overall, not great, but was not a waste of time to listen to either.

7/10

This guy's Wikipedia page was crazy. I enjoyed the album, but I don't think it will be sticking with me for very long.

Really cheesy, as only 80's Smooth [insert genre] can be.

Not exactly in my wheelhouse, but it's pretty good. I do like R&B, soul, and guitars and this purports to be some combo of those things, but doesn't really fulfill it's promise. It's pop soul with only occasional guitar flairs. The music is fair, but nothing too interesting or experimental. His voice is fine and he does try some different tones, but it's not grabbing me. Not soulful or evocative enough. Sounds like I'm bashing it, but it's nothing annoying at all. If you come in thinking it'll be decent background or sexy-time music, you'll be OK. Squarely a 3

3/5

divertidisimo hermosa voz y produccion me encantó Favs: So Many Sides Of You, Lay Your Lovin On Me, Where Do We Go From Here

It is a decent 80's soul funk album, but not sure there is anything groundbreaking here. Personally not sure why this is included in the list of album I must hear. I wouldn't play this again, maybe 2 songs were standouts.

Some days this challenge throws up a surprise that I didn’t see coming from an artist I’ve never listened to. But today was not that. This was really not my thing. Fortunately, ‘Stand Up’ was good enough for long enough to get my attention but otherwise it was a forgettable 35 minutes of somewhat soulful funk.

Goddamn, this was a fun listen.

General thoughts: It is not fair I got this after "There's no place like America" by Curtis Mayfield. He drastically set my expectations up for what soul entails, and that’s raw emotion, a journey with no clear destination. Bobby Womack’s sound is more Disco or Pop than Soul. Somewhat catchy, yes, but highly commercial and formulaic. The production and instrumentals are decent, but nothing impressive. For me, the Womack feeling is about being showy, about shouting, gargling, and regurgitating words. Soul-like? Yes. Soulful? No. Also, "The Poet" is such a lame title for simply bad lyrics. As an album, zero substance, boring; individually, they're good classic love songs. There isn't really any filler, though; it's really him trying his best. "Just like some good old Kentucky Fried Chicken And all of it was good enough to be finger lickin'." Outstanding song(s): So Many Sides Of You, Secrets Weakest song(s): Where Do We Go From Here Cover: Lame portrait Real rating: 3.43

3.5

A 3.5 or 4 from me, as it's very good for the genre, but it doesn't really push beyond that, from what I can hear. Definitely a fun listen and something I will revisit, but it's hard to say how influential and impactful it was on the larger music world.

He is very good

I really enjoyed every song, but every song seemed to be a minute and a half too long. It’s like he didn’t know how to end them and just kept vamping.

Best Track - "If You Think You're Lonely Now"

From across 110th Street comes The Poet with a great collection of old school soul delivered in his unique sometimes bear gruff sometimes smooth as honey voice. The music is more late-night light jazz rather than funky but varied enough to not get tired of any one style. While not a certified soul classic ala Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On' or Curtis Mayfield's 1970's solo debut, 'The Poet' gets close sometimes and delivers 8 solid songs with a whole lot of passion and soul.

Good energy album, kind of lovey. I liked!

Wasn't bad by any means, better then any pop music on the radio.

Great

I like soul, but this has a bit too much of that 80s polished production value for my tastes. It's not bad, but not really what I look for.

This is a fun, funky R&B album. It's also very firmly rooted in the early 80s with the yacht-rock backing band and general feeling of cheese. It's not poetry, but it is a good album that really gets you in the groove like only R&B can do. Vocals are smooth as ever, and Womack can certainly play the guitar. The backing band is tight, which elevates the album quite a bit. Lyrics aren't that good, especially for an album called "The Poet", but they serve the genre. This was a fun listen-or maybe I have a soft spot for 80s R&B. Either way, I enjoyed this.

A solid bit of late 70s/early 80s style soul. Quite a nice vibe for a Sunday afternoon but nothing really stood out as being great and it’s not something I’ll be rushing back to.

Is there anyone Bobby didn't collab with? Some interesting history in his personal life too. The album is funky, jazzy, a little rocky, with just a latent hint of disco thrown in for good measure. What does it want to be when it grows up. Listened before? N Saved tracks? N ⭐⭐⭐ Liked it well enough but saved no tracks

I guess I expected better lyrics from an album called The Poet? Some good funky grooves and nice vocals, though. And his Wikipedia page is bonkers.

Not bad but I didn't feel like that sort of music

Another album I could've died without listening.

No está mal, simplemente no captó mi atención lo suficiente.

coked-out r&b can be fun, but this is not!

Absolutely loved it, such a vibe

This is my first time listening to this album. This is enjoyable, though some of the production choices make it seem pretty dated and 80s. I'm not sure I need to add this to my library, but I _am_ glad I listened to this.

Not bad. But hasn’t aged well IMO … a little too cheesy for me.

I don't usually care for the cheesy soul records. But there were enough songs on here that I found enjoyable to slightly give this a 3 over a 2.

Urgh.

2/10

Cool record. Very easy to listen to, but I'm not sure how it's influential or why it's on the list

This album sounds exactly like the 70s R&B that was ubiquitous in my aunt Mary’s house through my childhood. I’m sure Heart FM must’ve been playing Bobby Womack between 2003-2009. It made me nostalgic for the triangular tuna sandwiches served with grapes and plain crisps. Very nice album.

Best Song: If you Think You're Lonely Now Another album to bang to! I would never listen to this other than for that purpose, however. 3/5.

2026.1.17

saved nada but hella satisfying

So good!! All of a sudden I was dancing!!!

Favorite track: Lay Your Lovin’ On Me

Vibeesss, muito legal

2.5

The type of album I would bump if I was a single woman in the 80s coming home to my high-rise apartment after a long day at my office job

Damn this thing finished strong. Fantastic production - wait until tonight!!

Pretty romantic album

Decent.

None of the songs are really grabbing my attention

Meh. He had a bit of soul but the range, emotions and composition just weren’t there

Great start. Love the bass guitar in Lay Your Lovin' On Me Very funky

Not so great.

A good Sunday morning listen - fun and upbeat - between 3 and 4 rounded up

Crazy back-loaded, funky, soulful album. Not the greatest songs I've ever heard, but with a voice like that, do you even need them? Faves: Games, If You Think You're Lonely Now, Where Do We Go From Here

Like the guy but not that album.

OOOooo lemme *snorts a line* AAAH lemme say *backflips over an amp* UUUAAAAAhhhaAA LEMME just SAY *dodges a bullet* OH WEE baby lay it ON ME!

Not for me

7/10

Very nice, been listening to this album a lot

Solid

2.4 2x great but just not my thing completely outside of "liking" if you think youre lonely now

3,5/5 + A very easy listening experience + As not an expert on the genre and its conventions, it feels a little generic and samey + Overall very enjoyable Fav: If you Think You're Lonely Now, Secrets Least Fav: -

awesome

This was a tricky one for me to rate as I wasn’t really in the mood for an album like this today. The first half of the album was hard for me to get through, as I really enjoyed the first track “So Many sides of You”, but the next three just didn’t hit for me. They are also longer songs too which meant if I wasn’t vibing, there was still a while left on the song. Going into the second half it speeds up nicely with Stand Up, which isn’t really my style, but enjoyable nonetheless. It then goes into Games which had a nice jazz feel, but almost made me fall asleep. I very much enjoyed Do You Think You’re lonely now, but it just was too long for me, same with the closer. The instrumentation on this album was really good. I liked the guitar and prominent bass, the vocals were good and I liked the horns throughout. The gospel and jazz influences were very evident and enjoyable. Each song was different from each other and it didn’t blend together at all, however, I did find the length of the songs to be a bit off putting. I feel like some of them would’ve been better with a bit of a cut. Overall rating 3/5 ⭐️, didn’t blow me away but it was musically interesting and deserves its spot on this list! Favourites: so many sides of you, stand up, do you think you’re lonely now Least favourites: games 3/1001

R&B and soul rocked up a bit - reminded oddly of Prince here and there. Not a bad listen.

Žiauriai geras bass, gan groovy.

This is SO cool, I wish I had heard about it earlier! I loved it, perfect for listening to while drawing or writing. So vibey so fun. I think it's because of the style, but it feels timeless to me.

Funky!

First of all, side two of this is FIRE. Three hot ass jams that are funky, soulful R&B at its best. The entire album is amazing, but that side really shines. There isn’t nothing here that I dislike, it’s awesome.

Soulful

A pleasant soul album to wake up to today.

A nice R&B soul album for a change of pace.

If I hadn't known this came out in 81 I would have guessed 80 or 81, because by 82 this sound was gone. This definitely has that soft R&B, kind of post Disco (especially with the bass grooves) feel to it and the times where he actually tries to get bluesy, one of the problems with the early '80s Productions is that it's far too clean for it to sound dirty. This is the kind of album that I don't dislike in any way shape or form and I can definitely be in the same room with it, but I probably won't take anything away from this album after today. (6.67) ★★★

I like the musicianship, but it is quite forgettable. Low 3 stars

I'm not very high at all on this era of Soul/R&B, so this album was a bit of a challenge for me. I think "If You're Lonely Now" is probably the best thing here, but the rest kind of fluctuates between meh and a pretty cheesy. 2.5 stars.

So I put on this album. Skipped a couple of YouTube ads And though he’s not much of a ‘poet’ I thought it wasn’t half bad. High 3.5. Just My Imagination and Lay Your Lovin’ On Me pick of the sexy funky soul pops. If you like sexy funky soul pops of an early 80s timeframe then I would suggest Between The Sheets by Isley Brothers, In Your Eyes by George Benson or even The Best of George Benson by George Benson as albums to either fit alongside Bobby Womack’s The Poet or indeed replace it on the list as this album isn’t exactly filled wall to wall with Bobby Wo’bangers and Lay Your Lovin’ On Me is from a slightly weaker bit of the same sexy funk soul cloth as Benson’s Turn Your Love Around anyway.

Really good, tasty 80s R&B. 4 stars

6/10 Not sure it really delivers on the title, but the music was fun enough Highlights: Stand Up So Many Sides of You

4/5

Прикольно, вайбово, ненапряжно

smooth and groovy at the same time. only knew who this guy was because of that one gorillaz song, it cool hearing some solo material from him

Álbum excelente. Vocais e instrumentos riquíssimos! QoA Cloudscape.

so many sides of you- 7 lay your loving on me- 7 secrets- 6 or 7 just my imagination- 6 stand up- 7 games- 6 if you think youre lonely now- 6 where do we go from here- sick Buffy ref. 7 cocaine used to be different

Loved

Such a fun listen

Soul funk...very good to listen to...I almost dancing right now...

10/10

Funktional. Capable. Slid right in my ears and right back out. Seems like an attempt to give a talented guy an album on the list by picking the one with a commercial hit, which is a weird method that's happened a couple of times so far. As an album, nothing to really recommend or diminish it.

Smooth Jazz

Fine. Enjoyable. Although nothing that made me want to re-listen in future.

Better than I expected! I was expecting something a little smoother and more processed but this was nice and a little throwback.

Pretty okay. Didn’t come off as anything special.

AHHH IT'S alright but I really wanted to give this a 5. 4/5

In many ways I should probably have enjoyed this album more than I did. At the end of the day I just didn’t get along with the sound of this album

Sounds good, but the message and feeling just doesn't reach me

Mmmm, classic soul and blues.

Thought this was good, though not really my scene. High 2s.

Love album? Breakup album? Will I be returning to this on my own time - no Will I be skipping it if it happens to come on - also no

Bobby just made love to my ear drums.

Some genuinely very funky stuff in here more in line with 80s styles than I'd expect from the bombastic soul I knew already by Bobby Womack, but when he starts entering full preacher mode near the end of the album it starts to drag on just a bit too much.

Smooth, sexy, funky, easy to listen to. Mr Womack's sound is the definition of "cool". Enjoyable album but one I will probably forget about down the line.

It is unbelievable that I had not listened to Bobby Womack before this album. Smooth tunes and charming attitude. I have a new thing to do now, do a deep dive on his career

This was fine.

Smooth sensuous soul

Not bad

Musical sweetcorn. Goes through you with hardly any interaction.

This was like my fav station in GTA V.

Decent listen

Bobby Womack and R&B had better years than 1981--the production of this album is just a little off. Nevertheless, this album is still solid and Bobby can bring it. Top trucks: "Lay Your Lovin' on Me," "Just My Imagination," "Where Do We Go from Here"

Perfectly fine. Background music for me, mostly. one of the 700 albums to hear ONCE before you die I guess.

--So Many Sides of You...I like it when there's great use of backup singers --Lay Your Lovin On Me...lay this bassline on me! --Secrets...I'm an absolute slut for this bass. Keep it comin' --Just My Imagination...a pleasant but generic ballad --Stand Up...oh, we get funky now. this is a booty shaker --Games...cheesy and too long --If You Think You're Lonely Now...more soul with cheese --Where Do We Go From Here...see above

Yeah!

The Poet by Bobby Womack is a genuinely fun and satisfying listen. The album blends R&B, funk, and jazz with effortless confidence, all carried by Womack’s soulful delivery and some truly brilliant backing vocals. The pacing is tight, the mood romantic, and the whole record flows beautifully from track to track. It’s one of those albums that feels both polished and deeply heartfelt. Favourite track: Just My Imagination and If You Think You’re Lonely Now are the standouts — both rich, emotional, and superbly crafted. Least favourite track: Honestly, every track has its charm; nothing feels out of place. Album artwork: A fairly standard cover, but it fits the era and the tone.

Masterfully produced, arranged and performed but the songwriting is a little dull and I wish it was more centered around his fantastic guitar playing. Among the best soul records of the 1980s that I have heard, but that's not saying much. Exceptionally shitty decade for soul music. If you want a wild ride, go read his personal life section on Wikipedia, and then click over to the death section of Sam Cooke. Crazy shit!

I'm not sure I've deliberately listened to Bobby Womack much if at all (although I *did* just hear Gorillaz' "Stylo" which features both Mos Def and Bobby Womack), but I'm glad he was included in the collection, and this sounds like it's a great selection from his discography. I really liked it that, despite its 1981 release, it has a much warmer (and synth- and electronic-drum-free) sound than most 80s albums, soul or otherwise. I'm not sure I had any real favorites on the album (maybe "Stand up"?), but I enjoyed the listening experience and definitely recognized his big hit "If you think you're lonely now". I'm also struck at how similar Ceelo Green sounds to Bobby Womack.

I really loved the bass on the first track and the whole album pops, though "If You Think You're Lonely Now" could have been at least a minute shorter.

Loved it

I recognize the lyric “if you think you’re lonely now” but only because of Mariah Carey.

Ok, this is a clear three for me. But I can't really review this in good faith. If you title your album the Poet, you need to deliver. Bobby didn't.

3.0

Звучит роскошно, хоть и не совсем моя музыка.

Nice production, well-focused songs that don't tire themselves, good performances and a great voice. The only thing holding this from 4 stars is that I don't really connect to the genre.

p482. 1981. 2 stars. Sub-par Marvin Gaye clone. Starts off cheesy and improves slightly as he warms up. Great voice, let down by weak material.

4.5

Good, but something about the 80s production rubs me the wrong way. Prefer his 70s material.

Some good old fashioned soul. Or maybe R&B? Or maybe not so old fashioned? That's more of a me problem than a Bobby problem - 1981 was 44 years ago, after all. It doesn't feel that way.

This was fun but also samey

Knew this was going to be great, right from the start. But this is perfect, all the way through. Bobby Womack’s voice will get you pregnant.

Amazing soul album. Never heard of this guy, but isn’t that the point of this endeavor? He’s gained a fan in me.

Heat

This project is really showing my genre bias for soul and R&B. Solid album with some absolute gems, though I will always prefer earlier Womack.

Funky!

Really good

Det är ju klanderfritt. Och smånajs. Men det är inte min kopp te riktigt. Träffar inte så jag känner "yes". Och inget som jag vill lyssna på frivilligt. Lite porrmusik-aktigt bitvis :). Men det är som sagt ett grymt hantverk och hög lägstanivå.

Varit svag för Bobby Womack sen jag hörde Across 110th street för första gången i Jackie Brown. Hade dock endast hört If you think you’re lonely now på den här skivan, vilket är en enastående bra låt. Tycker det är bra i övrigt också och bara Bobbys röst gör lägstanivån väldigt hög.

This was great. Nothing overly spectacular with it - it didn’t try rewriting any books or take many risks, but I found it entertaining and a good listen. Like many albums here I’d question how this is “essential” to hear, but that aside I liked it.

The birth rate increased in 82-84. I can only assume it was because of this album. No other explanation.

Not great, feels very dated and one note. I'm sure this music might be better received if I wasn't a suburban white kid from the 80s.

Great vibes on this album. Chill, smooth, funky soul goodness

Dude had a weird and pretty fucked up personal life, but I still like Bobby Womack and his music in general. ‘The Poet’ however, despite a couple of solid cuts, is average at best. I can think of at least ten other 80s soul records far more deserving of a spot on this list.

This was a pleasure to discover, all around just a really solid effort with lots of elements that were all used really well.

Good

1. zidez - 1.5 2. lay -1.5 3. zecretz - 1 4. Imagination - 1 5. Stand -1 6. Games -1.5 7. Lonely - 1.5 8. Here -1.5

Ok

Soulful and smooth, an easy listen, although not as memorable or funky as I perhaps was hoping.

Not really my thing. This is the sort of stuff that always made it on to Top of the Pops at the time. Which seemed boring then and just seems odd now, given what else was going on. This didn’t really excite me now. It certainly didn’t back then. I’ve certainly heard better music from this genre on this list (Parliament’s Mothership Connection for example). This just seems boring and old fashioned to my ears. And I’m both boring and old fashioned.

3.5

Sick

Smooth and unintrusive

Knew this was going to be great, right from the start. But this is perfect, all the way through. Bobby Womack’s voice will get you pregnant.

Was ein Funk-Poet! eifach immer en mood-lüpfer. Debi no optimali Längi und zum Schaffe im Hintergrund au bestens geeignet. Vieles richtig gmacht Bobby! Vier Schiebewüscher für sini Brülle.

Isch fuuun & schön Ich wird dich wieder mal lose mr bobby disco. E mix zwüschem marvin und em mickael jackson. Also de marvin in biz schlecht und de michael in besser. Das gid e schöni disco-soul mix album. Me gusta 4 gedicht für the lil poet

läck bobby, bin imne dilemma zum eine hani jedes einzelne lied gspeicheret – zum andere hani sither aber nur paar vereinzelti wieder gloset irgendwie hani s'gfühl dasi nöd scho wieder es 5i gäh chan, vorallem wills nöd ganz ah marvin gaye anechund nevermind ha nomal driglost: klare fall vomne 5i

Run of the mill nothing special

A soulful album, evan if at times it's pretty corny or campy. Some of the grooves are so awesome, notably in my favorite which was Games. The base line around the halfway point is very compelling and had me rewind it flseveral times. I had a lot of fun with this one, even if it's imperfect.

not so much

If this is not the smoothest, most slick, block of velveeta, then I don't know what would qualify.

pretty dope.

Warm tones, good vibes. What a classic sound.

Classic early 80s soul. At least what I think it would have been!

Fascinating. Wide-spanning in its execution --- feels like it covers a lot of bases, like scratching a bit of an Al Green itch.

This started with promise but overall was just meh!

This is soulful and funky, everything that you would expect from a Bobby Womack album. “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” is stunning and is the album’s standout, but is adrift in a run of fairly mediocre soul standards toward the end of the album. However, the greatest gift from this album is the falling down the Wikipedia rabbit hole for Womack’s incredible and chaotic - if largely unsavoury - personal life.

I think Stand Up was a little bit above the rest of the tracks, but overall this is the very definition of background music. 2/5

Beautiful soul. Guy came from absolutely nothing with his voice and guitar. Great stuff. Secrets, Games, Where Do We Go From Here As standouts, and of course: If You Think You're Lonely Now as an absolute highlight. That guitar riff...

R&B from an influential veteran. But it’s a pretty standard R&B sound. I don’t hear anything super-novel here. It’s good but not great. A 3.

Mr. Bibby Wallmock back at it again with a Mr. Steal Your Wife claaAAAaasic. NOt tooo shabby folks...not too shabby.

Surprisingly good. I particularly enjoyed the cover of Just my Imagination.

Indeed a fine album, but instead of the title of the album being "The Poet" it should have been "The Pump".

nothing special about it but equally nothing bad about it, could have been any one of the soft soul artists, Quincey Jones etc. Smooth background noise, sounds better now Im older.

Funky, smooth and a little cheesy. Yeah, don't mind it at all. Has a late 70s hangover sort of sound, not quite fully transitioned into the 80s yet, but with some hints of synth-yet-to-come. I felt like I was watching Top of the Pops listening to this - every song sounded like it could have been a featured song from the charts. As each track faded, I imagined the clapping and a little introduction to the next song, which is weird, because I wasn't even born yet. I listened before 6am even hit. It really suited the time of day with nothing too intense and a lovely clean sound to pull myself round to. It's not my go-to type of music, but I'm certainly not complaining about it. I enjoyed hearing this.

Strong 3,5

Mais mince en fait j'aime vraiment pas la vibe de la soul, ce côté un peu langoureux, très léger / jovial qui me paraît overplay - autour de l'amour blabla - alors que l'instru et la rythmique sont hyper quali. Un album à côté duquel je passe à cause du genre qui me rebute dans ce qu'il dégage, mais quelque Mais mince en fait j'aime vraiment pas la vibe de la soul, ce côté un peu langoureux, très léger / jovial qui me paraît overplay - autour de l'amour blabla - alors que l'instru et la rythmique sont hyper quali. Un album à côté duquel je passe à cause du genre qui me rebute dans ce qu'il dégage, mais quelque chose me parle quand même vachement à certains égards, genre je peux avoir envie de danser dessus et je trouve que c'est vraiment des "bons" morceaux - j'admire et apprécie la compo sur plusieurs dimensions - mais voilà, un mur difficile à franchir.

donnez-moi plus d’albums comme ça par pitié. une douceur dans la voix et la mélodie très appréciée, et qui est judicieusement tranchée par moments par des riffs plus assertifs (je pense notamment à Just My Imagination qui met en valeur ce jeu d’intensité dans la façon de poser la voix). on tape dans le mille de mon style musical avec une basse qui apporte un côté très dansant, un choeur (limite gospel) qui donne la réplique et rentre parfaitement dans la proposition soul portée par Womack (même si j'aurais aimé qu'il soit légèrement plus intense par moments, et que les harmonies soient un peu plus soutenues). le son Games est juste incroyable avec l’intro guitare et l’aspect à moitié parlé-chanté des paroles au début. encore une fois, le seul défaut que je trouve à ce type d’albums est la tendance un tant soit peu répétitive que les morceaux peuvent avoir quand on écoute tout l’album d’un coup. mais pour moi on est sur un bon 4.25 !

Very good.

Favorite tracks: Lay Your Lovin' On Me, Stand Up This album had a few fun songs, but overall it didn't wow me or stand out from other funk albums.

I like this guys voice. Sounds like a lot of soul music I've heard from the 70's. Nothing stuck out as something I need to go back to. I was nodding my head a lot, which is good.

Quite funky, soulful and very enjoyable.

This was fine, nothing to really write home about. He can sing well and the music wasn't bad, but not something really worth returning to. 3/5

funky and fun. not much else to say

Que chido :D

I’ve never heard of Bobby Womack before, but a quick glance at his Wikipedia page says that he played guitar for Sam Cooke (cool!) and also a cocaine addiction (I could have deduced this from the album cover, because apologies to Mr. Womack, but that suit and those glasses scream cocaine use). I’m not big on soul music from the eighties, but maybe my problem was not listening to someone who played guitar for Sam Cooke. The Poet wasn’t really my jam, but I thought it was fine. There was a really consistent vibe and sound to the album, the production was really good, and the bass riffs added a smooth groove to each song. I can see this album doing really well when it came out, but I thought it sounded really dated, the lyrics were pretty cheesy for the most part, and I didn’t find anything meaningful or impactful about this album. I thought The Poet was a unique way to make a soul album in the eighties, but a lot of these songs dragged on too long for my tastes, and I found myself a bit bored for some stretches. Some notes on songs that I enjoyed: “So Many Sides of You” was a strong opening track, with an excellent beat and additional rhythmic elements. Those backing vocals were excellent too. The lyrics on “Secrets” were really good. I loved the verse about cookies and KFC. Bobby’s delivery of those lines was perfection. “Just My Imagination” had a unique country vibe to it that I thought worked well. The bass was great, and I really enjoyed what I assume was a keyboard tuned to sound like a pedal steel. “Stand Up” was a really solid jam. It reminded me a lot of Funkadelic, and it sounded like something that should have been playing during the house party scene in Trading Places. This was my favorite song on the album, mostly because it was so fun. The Poet is a well-made album, but this sort of sound is just not really my jam, and it’s not the sort of thing I’d come back to.

A bit of soul, but not for me.

In my imagination won me over

Bobby is an undeniable force in soul and funk music, and his 80's transition, while not being my favorite, is still admirable/very solid listening

All I knew about bobby womack before this was stylo by the gorillaz. Amd I didnt really even like that song that much. But im pleasantly surprised here. Its funky and soulful. It does have a few too poppy missteps in the middle but generally a very good record. The vocals are great. And im such a sucker for bass lines and they are coming out of this records ears. Every song has some good low register goodness. What a great time.

Smooth but not remarkable

Only heard Bobby's cover of California Dreamin' before (and a Gorillaz collab). Daaaamn wow, this album goes hard. Could tell the vibe is gonna be good just from the album cover alone 3/5

Eihän tää huono oo mutta ei vaan genre oikein iske. Aika tylsä ja tasapaksu levy

Kyllähän tämän kuunteli, mutta ei ollut mitään tajunnanräjäyttävää nautintoa. Makkarin puolella toimisi varmasti paremmin, kuin kuulokkeista tietokoneen edessä. Stand Up ehdottomasti levyn paras biisi, jos olisi useampi tuonkaltainen ollut niin voisi olla nelosen levy, tällaisenaan keskiverto kolmonen.

Täähän oli yllättävän piristävä paketti. Kunnon kutumusaa, toisin kuin edellinen Prinssi, jossa HK:n sininenkin lerpahtaa prinssinakiksi. Levyn julkaisuvuosi hämmensi, kuulosti hyvällä tavalla vanhemmalta matskulta. Nyt oon niin hövelillä päällä että nelonen napsahtaa!

Melkoista panomusiikkia. Pitää ens kerralla laittaa soimaan ja katsoa mitä daami tuumaa.

Nonii saatiin taas erikoismies listalta pulpautettua framille. Kohtalaisen värikästä touhua sekä ite päähenkilöllä, että hänen lähipiirillään, mutta ei anneta sen häiritä! Levy saundaa sillai ihan kivalta, että on nippelit kohdallaan, mutta vähän jää semmonen pliisu kuva. Levy potkastaan ihan rehvakkaasti liikkeelle, mutta ei oikein jaksa sitten kantaa. Albuumin suurin hitti, jossa lauletaan jotain luuloista ja yksinäisyydestä, on ainakin osotus, että joskus kasarilla pysty kohtalaisen kunnianhimosellakin tavaralla nousta listoille killumaan kellumaan. Kyl tällasissa pitää antaa luomusta plussaa kun on jouduttu ajatuksen kanssa tekeen tuotantoo ja sovittelemaan palasia kohdilleen. Räväkkyys kuiteskii puuttuu ja vaikka sekoilu on vähäsempää kun esim. eilisellä rinssillä, niin kiinnostavuutta on vähempi.

Ei tällainen kutumusiikki kyllä koskaan oo oikeen napannut. Ei tarpeeksi melankolista, ollakseen mielenkiintoista, eikä tarpeeksi menevää taustamusiikiksi.

No ei kyllä lähtenyt yhtään. Womackilta on entuudestaan tuttu ainoastaan se Jackie Brownin soundtrackilla oleva Across the 110th street, ja olin varovaisen innostunut että josko tulisi yhtä kovaa kamaa. Mutta ei lähellekään. Ihan saatanan väsyneen kuuloista meininkiä, vaikka paikkapaikoin laulun kanssa vähän irrotellaankin erilaisten wuu-äänteiden muodossa. En aio palata tähän levyyn, mutta ei tämä nyt sentään yhden tähden tason paskaa ollut. Eli perus kaksi tähteä taas kerran.

Not for me, but thanks

Like it 3/5

A little reminiscent of Stevie Wonder

I really wanted The Poet to fire me up, but it left me stranded. Bobby Womack’s voice is smooth, sure - too smooth. The slow grooves and mellow vibes might work for a late-night drive or a whiskey-on-the-couch moment, but not when you're lacing up for the gym. I needed urgency, energy, something to kick me into gear, but this album just sways and simmers without ever boiling over. It’s soulful, yeah, but it felt more like background music than something I could connect with or feel moved by. Respect to Womack, but this one just didn’t hit where I needed it to.

I need more time with this one.

Man, I really dug this album. This album is composed of what some people might call “baby-making music.” On this album, Bobby Womack is telling you about how the love of a good woman is everything in a man’s life and how the love of a bad woman is still pretty damn good in a man’s life, but at some point, you’ve got to get the hell out. The Poet came out in 1981. Baby-making music, or good old-fashioned R&B, was not popular. We were in the dying days of disco and R&B was more dance music. Not that you can’t dance to Bobby Womack music, because Stand Up had me taking a break to boogie at my desk. The Poet is full of that classic music where Bobby is almost talking straight to the listener, imparting his worldly advice. Like Bobby had been at the top, he’d had the money, the fame, the women, but what he really wanted was that foxy soulmate that would keep layin’ her love on him. Besides being full of great R&B, some of the songs veer off course a bit. Just My Imagination isn’t the Just My Imagination you’ve heard from the Temptations or the Rolling Stones. This is a song written by Womack using the same title, but there is a steel guitar used throughout that makes the song sound like a country song. It’s weird, but it’s a good song. It’s almost a haunting song. Then you get to a song called Stand Up that is pure disco goodness. Stand up, ‘cause you can’t sit down. And you can’t. This song could be a hit today. It’s pure boogie fuel. I’ll admit, I’ve had a few dogs this past week in the 1,001 list and I’m not sure if I love this album because it’s broken me out of a rough patch or if it’s really a must hear album. I’m going to say it’s a little of both. The Poet is a great example of the dying days of classic R&B music that was used for dancing or for fu….um, loving. Do yourself a favor, when you’re looking to make things hot for your special friend or you just want to boogie, throw on The Poet and let Bobby talk you into something fun.

Not really my thing

3,5 Fav: So Many Sides of You

Carino dai

I really enjoyed reading about this guy... What a life story! The music, however, was pretty ordinary. Soulful, plenty of nice bass lines. Not really cup of tea, but I enjoyed it somewhat when I put it on as background music. 3 Stars.

This album is like sitting in a bar on a Tuesday night feeling sorry for yourself because you like a girl at work but you're not sure she feels the same way and you don't want to put yourself out there to her because if she rejects you, you'll be stuck working with her for the term of your contract and that will be more awkward than anything you've ever known. A man walks into the bar, sits next to you and orders himself a Manhattan. The lady behind the bar has already started pouring it before he orders, so you know he comes here often. He looks over at you and remarks that you have the downtrodden face of a man that is struggling with his emotions, then offers an ear for your troubles. Normally you don't engage with strangers, especially ones who apparently habitually drink Manhattans on a Tuesday night. But you're not really sure how to navigate these feelings without any outside help. You explain the situation and the man smiles. 'You've just gotta go for it my brother', he says. Before you can explain to him how it isn't really that easy, he bursts into an excited rant about the beauty of love, and how wonderful it is that such a raw emotion doesn't bow down to any humanity-imposed barriers like 'you can't have the hots for your workmates' and 'you can only love one girl at once'. While you are somewhat lured in by his charismatic words, he does go off the handle a little bit. Like, you really should only love one girl at a time.

Sometimes the cover alone is enough to tell you an album about to be 5 stars. Funky all the way through. Finger licking good!

I liked “So Many Sides of You” and “Secrets”

Bobby Womack was a scoundrel and this is some scoundrel ass shit.

This was fun. Love the groove, multiple layers, and his voice has great emotion. New fan.

Bueno

Textbook early 80s R&B Soul album by a textbook flawed artist.

Bobby can sing - which makes him a pleasure to listen to - even if this drifts dangerously close to easy listening. Soul with a hint of funk.

Such a fun groovy record. Soulful, funky, catchy and instantly had my head bobbing. Some of the lyrics are a little corny, but that's more a sign of the times than anything else and if you just throw this on in the background, you'll be dancing around while you do whatever it is that you do.

Wow … what a great album. I knew Bobby Womack but only from some songs and I had never listened to one of his albums. That was definitely an errror.

> The Beatles

Solid. Groovy. 3/5

Surprising album from a new artist for me. He unfortunately lost a full point for the "When I ain't there to rub your back" lyric.

Pretty fun album, great vocals

WHAT A BAND. Gadson on drums, David T. on guitar, Nathan East on bass. Had never listened to this whole album before, this is exactly what I'm looking for out of this project. Incredible, perfect. 5/5.