The Poet

It was fine.

autsch, wieder einmal schnulzig ohne ende - kann dem echt nichts abgewinnen.

Ist halt nicht so meines..

Technically good but practically boring.

Let me get this straight... this guy married his bandmates wife 2 months after said mate died... and then proceeded to fuck his new stepdaughter? So the wife shot him and then remarries his little brother? I thought my family was dysfunctional - 2/5 stars for the lore alone.

This was out of my wheelhouse, I've heard of Bobby Womack but hadn't listened to him before. Giving this a 2 but this made me curious to go check out some of his older stuff.

Schmaltzy soul

Smooth 80's soul. Some nice yachty florishes but it's not really hitting any hooks. Bland and inoffensive. Surely there's better soul albums out there than this? Best Tracks: So Many Sides of You; Just My Imagination; If You Think You're Lonely Now

Somewhere in between classic soul and neo soul and it probably needs to be forgotten. This era just doesn’t do it for me.

It was ok, not a fan of Lovey Dovey music ( a mix of Barry White and Marvin Gaye IMHO ).

Very slow nondescript Soul. The guitar playing is jazzy, clean, melodic, subtly interesting. The keyboards are good, though veering only slightly into synth cheese here and there.

Bobby is always fun, this is a fun groovy album, but it's not particularly remarkable for me. It's very much a middle of the road. I think I treat my rating system not as a rating as an album in and of itself but as a response to it being on the 1001 albums list, and therefor it gets a 2*. Not because it isn't good but i'm just very apathetic towards it and it stirs no strong emotion good or bad.

Alright

Gear: Fostex TH610 Artwork: 🎸😎🆒 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: ✍️📜🤔 Rating: 🪩🪩(🪩)/5

A little too yacht rock for me, but for a morning vibe, it was fine.

The ballads are not for me but Stand Up had me grooving. 2.5

Eh...

I don’t hate it but I don’t love it. An album I need to hear before I die? No.

Awful

Soul and funk, overwrought vocals. Not unpleasant but not memorable.

Far too 'easy listening' for me.

Really found this dull. Represents a time and place but not special as far as I can tell.

Tough one. Has virtually all the elements of music I'd like, but its about 5cm off center, and that apparently spoils the whole thing. Took something with sould and transformed it to cheese. Soul cheese.

I was driving throughout this album and it didn't disturb me!!

I like it. It’s groovy and funky and great background music to jam out to. 2.5⭐️

This is definitely well-made music with production that was top tier for its time. If you’re someone who enjoys 80s soul, you’ll probably get a lot out of this. Personally though, it didn’t do much for me. It felt pretty cliché, and the sound hasn’t aged all that well. There’s a certain slickness to it that comes off as a bit dated and cheesy today.

This honestly just didn't do much for me. Had it's moments but that was few and far in between. Honestly was just waiting for it to be over at some point. High 2

5/10 This was well put together but fundamentally boring. What is a totally fine 80s soul album doing on this list? It felt pretty inessential to me. I liked the bits where he was channeling Stevie Winder, and the other bits less so Best: Stand Up

Artiste inconnu. J'aime beaucoup les lignes de basse sur cet album, et les (trop rares) chorus de sax. Et la harpe amène une originalité bienvenue. Par contre certains sons de synthé ont mal vieilli (Stand Up et son synthé basse), et les morceaux plus lent finissent par être ennuyeux (If You Think You're Lonely Now). Je ne pense pas l'écouter une seconde fois. =>2/5

This guy has about a half dozen better contributions to music than this cringefeast

Ok

Okay

Eh

Didn't realize Bobby Womack was a previously successful R&B artist as my prior exposure was through his work with Gorillaz. I guess I should have figured since Damon Albarn has an incredible eye for talent and continues to collaborate with so many respected musicians. Any appreciation I have for Bobby will always be tied to his involvement and featured tracks with Gorillaz, though I was glad to dip a toe into his solo work with The Poet. It's an OK album I guess. There's a couple funky tracks that I enjoyed (notably Stand Up) but also some stuff that's skippable. I expect he has some quality nuggets hidden among his discography that I would enjoy, though I have no plans to comb through 40+ years of work. Glad for the exposure but happy to move past. 2.03 stars

It's a smooth affair, but nothing that really stood out to me.

This seems like pretty standard run of the mill 1980s R&B which is to say it's fine, but definitely not for me.

Bad 70’s slow funk vibe

I just don't really jibe with early 80s R&B that isn't straight-up funk, really. It just sounds way too smoothed out and over-produced. Very sterile.

I’m shocked how much I don’t like this. I first heard of Bobby Womack from none other than Mariah Carey, as a little pre-teen girl singing along to “We Belong Together.” Being a nerd, I obviously sought out the song she referenced [“If You ThinK You’re Lonely Now”] and, while I immediately fell in love with it, I never felt so compelled by it to seek out the album it came from originally. Even as an adult, whenever I come across this record in a shop bin, I always pass it over, for some reason or another. So this was a brand new listen, but based on the single, the cover, and the general je ne sais quoi of Womack’s vibe, I figured this would be an instant 5 star review. Oh, how wrong I was… Throughout The Poet, Womack is either a bad Stevie Wonder impressionist or a skeevy manwhore. Sometimes, he’s both, although he most keeps it split evenly across each side of the record. Right out the gate, we get the worst Wonder-lite take with “So Many Sides of You,” which feels like a Stevie chord progression à la “Higher Ground.” It’s fine, but it’s distracting, and I can’t quite shake it. Thankfully, for the next two tracks, I’m kind of passively on board. Sure, they still appear to be Stevie rips, but they’re better. But soon enough, the sap kicks in, and it doesn’t let up until the end. Now, I’m not averse to the quiet storm thing, and I do think “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” holds up, but the majority of this record is wrapped in the stink of a stained satin sheet. It’s really a thick scent, and it stays in your noses, and most of the time, I really don’t want to keep getting a whiff of whatever happened during this recording process. And that’s the main issue here. Womack is an undeniable guitar player, especially in this style of music, but how much sex music does one person need in their life? What The Poet offers beyond that is Walmart Stevie Wonder, and I don’t need that, either. In the end, I’m left with one good song, a couple more okay-ish/tolerable songs, and a bunch of sleaze. Even as an ardent lover of ‘80s soul and R&B, this does nothing for me.

Who knew funk could be so cheesy?

I'm curious why the creators of "1001 Albums" added this one to their list. The singing is good, and the musicianship is fine, but Bobby Womack was a stronger artist in the 70s, and there are better examples of soul and funk music out there, especially from Womack. Right artist, wrong album.

2.5/5

A little too pleasing and monotonous for me.

About a song in, I thought that this could be good, kitschy fun; with good vocals over fun, dated production. But, it just ended up being dated and underwhelming.

First song kind of made me think of 'Master Balster - Jammin' by Stevie Wonder. 'Stand Up' made me think of Earth Wind & Fire. And like those songs, the Temptations cover was competent, but didn't really bring anything new to the table. His vocals are great, but lyrically (Kentucky Fried secrets? Really?) and musically this made me mostly wonder how this ended up on the list.

I found this to be mostly forgettable

Middle of the road.

Stand Up was the sole redeeming track from this album.

1980s black lady music, get it gurl

Musica que pondría de fondo pero sin ser necesariamente mi estilo. No me quedo con ninguna canción en particular.

Not for me

Meh. Long winded.

Soul/R&B only go so far for me. It’s all respectably fine music, none of is great. If You Think You Are Lonely Now is easily the best song 5.0/10

This is weird, man. Unexpectedly weird! The music is giving me funky groovy good times, but the lyrics are just awful. Not awful in a blatantly trying to create controversy or incite a reaction. Awful in the "I think I'm an artist and everything I say is so profound, but is actually a huge load of shit and completely lacks any real talent with words whatsoever" kind of way. You know this person. They think they're a writer or a singer or an artist, but they are a talentless hack and totally deluded. Yet, for some reason they charge at their dreams hard enough and nobody pipes up to say "actually, you should keep your day job" so somehow they find "success". I think of my cousin's idiot ex-husband who self published a book re-telling his dad's life story and then handed it out as the Thank You gift to everyone who attended their wedding. For real. Next level egotism and delusion. After this listen, I think Bobby Womack is the kinda guy who'd do that same thing. The fact that this album is called The Poet and nary a snippet of interesting poetry can be found here speaks volumes about how far up his ass his head is.

I didn’t know they still made music like this. Sounds like it’s straight out of the 80s and funky as hell.

Good but not ny stle

It was exactly as I was expecting. Passable would with a slight 80'e vibe. Nothing stood out but it wasn't offensive.

If it wasn’t for Stand Up, which is the only track here approaching funky, I wouldn’t have given this a second listen. But I did, and it still sounds to me like a run-of-the-mill sophisto-soul album that is more rooted in the early-to-mid-70’s than the post-Off The Wall 80’s. Surely this stuff had already been done to death by 1981. Two stars.

Funky 70s R&B that while good was a little bit forgettable. I had to hunt down the album to hear all of it, but honestly the song Secrets wasn't really worth the effort. Overall, I am a fan of the sound of the music so this is probably a 2 star record getting a generous "genre and era" bump. A rare cheat but I'm feeling generous towards this record for some reason.

The number of collaborations on Bobby’s resume is incredibly impressive. But…even with only 8 songs on this album, I found it a slog to get through. Most likely b/c some of the songs were 6 plus minutes. Oof. What I found more head scratching is this was released in late ‘81/early ‘82 when disco tinged styles like this were already way dead. Yet, this album was still top of the R&B charts when the rest of the world had clearly moved into punk, indie, new wave. Who woulda thunk it? Not me.

Spotify has this listed as release in 2021 and I was very confused. Overall it’s….fine. I didn’t mind it but nothing really stood out and there are some parts that drag with their repetitiveness (I know everyone has secrets! And it’s fine that there’s standing room only!). I just can’t get out of my head hearing this in the car with my parents when they were listening to the station that plays the best hits of the 70s 80s and today. Or maybe a doctor or dentist office. Sorry Bobby.

Sorry, Bobby, I did not really enjoy this and don't have much to say. Dig the album cover, tho. 2.5/5

This is a big old slice of funktastic 80’s cheese with a side of soul from one of the great soul voices that sounds like it would be great for a romantic night in. Sadly though, the songs don’t quite measure up to the singer. On “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” our hero whines about “his woman” complaining that he’s never there and is broke all the time, so he does the passive aggressive thing of threatening to leave her. Lovely.

Smooth AF, not my cup of tea.

Romantic one. Most of the songs were unavailable, but what I heard was both new and familiar. Old standards in a voice new to me.

Ah, yes, only a true poet could extol the virtues of finger-lickin’ Kentucky Fried Chicken, alongside the crumbling cookie and mom’s apple pie. Great R&B can put you in the mood, but “Secrets” only put me in the mood for food. The rest of the album was more geared towards the typical R&B tropes of love and romance, just enough to get your mind racing, to get your imagination running away with you. Wait, that’s a different “Just Your Imagination.” Womack’s was playing tricks on him again. Weirdly derivative song. Overall, it doesn’t sound like there’s much originality on “The Poet.” What makes this, his 13th album, the notable and special one? It did make it to the top of the Top Black Albums chart and placed a song number three on the Hot Black Singles Chart. Hold on, what are those charts called? Throughout the 80s, those were the names of Billboard’s R&B charts. Now off to grab a bucket of KFC. Because it’s finger lickin’ good.

freeing myself from the shackles that this generator seems to put every album from an artist just for the sake that the artist itself is iconic and listened to fly me to the moon instead. was nice.

Decent enough laid back soul music. Doesn't really do anything for me, or stand out from similar artists in the genre. 2/5

Sleezy slimey love making music. Eww.

Can you be too funky? This music sounded very outdated. It doesn’t stand up.

This album sounds very of its time. It gives post-disco R&B funk, but those lyrics? What I’m sure was meant to be sexy now just sounds cheesy. Still, it wasn’t boring.

“The Poet” is a bold declaration. But when he was able to work the finger lickin’ and Kentucky Fried Chicken into a verse he backed it up - pure poetry. Very boring album, but listenable and forgettable.

Boring

I guess if you like R&B/soul this would be enjoyable?

Not a fan of the genre. It’s just ok

I thought this would be more R&B. Too funk/disco for me.

Billboard Top Black Albums? Hot Black Singles? tf are those categories and how is that a thing. otherwise, a chill album, nothing special though

Oof, too cheesy for me. 2/5

he's cool, this not really my thing though 2.3

There is so much better: Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, the Temptations, the Four Tops…

Its okay Spotify for me has removed half of the album's songs for whatever reason, but wasn't bad liked the last two songs a bit

Nice r&b

Father of R&B.

Soul elegante y tranquilo que contiene algunas suaves incrustaciones de jazz, y todo impulsado por la voz ronca y potente de Bobby Womack. Me gusta la alegría de "So Many Sides of You", el tema que abre el disco, y el que lo ciera, "Where Do We Go From Here".

The end of disco, and the beginning of the early '80s version of R&B. The hook is drawing, the voice is spirited, but the music is predictable and boring.

Sounds like late 70’s early 80’s R&B/Soul. Because it is late 70’s early 80’s R&B/Soul.

This is supposed to be romantic music, but those cheesy lyrics could ruin anyone's chances. Down a star for that KFC song.

Didn't like it. Won't listen to it again. Not a fan of R&B, and this didn't change my mind.

His voice reminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgNkGPCqLmI That's it for my deep analysis, thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Not sure this should have ever happened. Can something be so smooth that it loses any credibility? I listened to a new (ish) Smokey Robinson album called ‘Gasms’ recently - similar vibes. Is it a joke? I’m not sure. What’s that song about secrets all about? Why’s he singing about KFC and some tasty apple pie. Weird. 1.8

Not for me

Lackluster.

Not my cup of tea. I get tired of the sameness; the background singers saying the same thing over and over and over while he rambles over top. I would have liked to have heard more of the guitar work that was displayed on “Games”. He certainly has some talent but it seemed too often lost in the mix.

The moves on this one are so smooth it gave me an urgent need for the toilet

Bobby Womack has an incredible voice. It's too bad he sings songs that move me not at all. Not my style. 2 stars

There is about 2 songs that I'd want to revisit. Not really feeling the rest.

This is what people played at dinner parties and in the bedroom in the 80’s.

this kind of soul is boring to me

I was expecting a bit more from this. The Bobby Womack songs I’ve heard, mostly his older stuff, I’ve enjoyed, so I expected I’d enjoy this too. Not so much. His voice is great, and I liked the songs “Just My Imagination” and “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” but the rest of this just wasn’t that great. The songs went on for too long and most of them were fairly boring. I really wanted to like this more than I did.

Spotify wouldn't let me listen to the first three tracks without paying to upgrade. Mostly harmless, pleasant Soul / R&B, a flashback to the 1970s when this style of music was massive. The track "Just My Imagination" was a tad annoying because it sounded very similar to "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" by The Temptations , which may or may not have been the intention.

Not for me

Watched the lyric videos, this guy is kind of a dick (Wikipedia research afterwards confirms this). Musically it’s fine, soul/funk I guess, and he’s got a good voice. Amusingly, So Many Sides Of You sounded like a cheesy sitcom theme song from the 80s (they were probably based on this style of music) and Just My Imagination had this repeating sound in the background like something bad happening in a platformer video game. Listens: 2 Fave Track: Just My Imagination Rating: 2

I don’t know, wasn’t for me. For a soul album it didn’t feel like it had a soul. It felt over produced and commercialized. It sound like a sound track to a beer commercial from the 80s

Нахуй соул

Meh

album 1002. there aint no way anything from this point onwards is even remotely good. this is like the aural equivalent to mbueno of brentford.

What is this madness?

Bobby Onesmack

Very, very generic.

Not my thing, won’t listen to again

Very average mid 80's soul. Nothing outstanding at all.

Muy disperso, me costo encontrarle una linea al album. Carece de balance al juntar el funk y el soul. Además no importa si lo pones en shuffle o lo escuchas de principio a fin, da lo mismo. Meh.

Ok, so this had its charm. I suppose it would be nice tootling away in the background. Didn’t light any fires for me though.

I didn’t mind this - couple of decent funky tunes.

Bobby sure can sing but the music itself is too uninteresting for him to work with imo. The big hit off this album was If You Think You’re Lonely Now which is just about, like, mocking someone you’re about to dump? idgi

2.5

Saknar hits.

Wasn't really for me

Enjoyed this more as a bassist than as a pop music fan.

No thanks. It's like making sweet sweet love to the weather channel on TV. I feel gross.

When this one came up on the page, I was like, "who?" "What?". I have no idea what this album will be. Genre, nothing. Exciting. The album starts with smooth R&B Soul, follows it with a very funky song--I think we might be getting somewhere here!--and then for the rest of the album goes back to smooth R&B Soul. Nothing--for me--extraordinary here. The singing is good and soulful, if nondescript. The guitar playing is jazzy, clean, melodic, subtly interesting. The keyboards are good, though veering only slightly into synth cheese here and there. When it was over, I thought "that was it??" I probably won't be returning to this one.

pretty poor

This was not good. Certainly not my thing. It's rough and unrefined and sounds like a first pass at an album.

Diggaan Bobbyn vanhempaa musaa. Tää kasarihomma jäi vähän pinnalliseksi. 2/5

Tyypillinen kasari-funk/soul, eli kaupallinen ja pinnallinen. Kumma, että eksynyt listalle. Taitavaa musisointia sinänsä.

Not really much for me. 2.5

Minne om The Cabin av Ylvis

Ну и зачем мне нужен Бобби Вомак, если чуть выше у меня есть Стиви Вандер? Ещё и пары треков на спотифай нет... Да короче какой-то пресный shit, не знаю. Это должен был быть соул, но... Его бы спас сильный вокал, но тут он слабоватенький какой-то прям очень.

Стэнд ап норм, остальное не мой жанр просто, но хорошо. 2+

Belli gli occhiali!

Meh

Soulful, with a lot of smooth guitar. Very radio friendly and my guest intro to Bobby Womack.

Was OK. I didn’t like the homoginaity of the sound.

Funky bass. I got real Eddie Murphy Dreamgirls vibes. Music good vocals not my favorite

This would probably be a lot better if it had been recorded 5 or 10 years earlier. The 80s production saps most of the soul out of these slow jams and makes them sound more plastic than soulful,

Baby makin music.

Nice, luister nooit naar hem, beetje slijmerige muziek, maar toch paar lekkere nummers! Jammer dat we niet alles kunnen luisteren. Favoriete nr.: just my imagination

There is a lot of filler in the music, which I'm not very keen on, especially in a recording. Live, it might work, but too much repetition over the same hook can get boring.

Meh.

Smooth music with occasional bursts of energy. Pretty repetitive and lacking in melodies/hooks to hang on to. Not particularly inspired songwriting. Nothing wrong with this but not something I’d really choose to listen to. Best song: Lay Your Lovin’ on Me

I’m familiar with Bobby’s charismatic voice mainly through his work with Gorillaz, though I wonder if this is an instance where the performer might be legendary but their discography isn’t? I actually enjoyed tracks 1, 4 and 7 (the clear standout), but really wasn’t a fan of the rest. It just left me cold.

For some reason Spotify doesn't have the first three songs available, so I cheated a little and added his top three listened songs in their place. The only Bobby Womack song I know is 110th Street from the Jackie Brown soundtrack, which I do really enjoy, so I went into this with promised hopes. The album starts in earnest with Just my Imagination, which I was digging until about the final two minutes when it started to drag. The rest of the album was disappointing, a cross between accidently going to the wrong gig and feeling too awkward to leave ("this next songs dedicated to all those lovers out there..."), and something my mum would have on a mixed tape when I was growing up in the 90s (if you think you're lonely now). Shame. After a long row of disappointing albums this week this one follows suit.

2.75

I am not very familiar with Bobby Womack and do not know if this album is a great example of his body or work. I suspect it is not, but either way, I did not care for this. It’s a very slick 80s production that just does not appeal to me. Other than Womack’s voice, which is indisputably great, nothing here engaged me.

Ehh. This wasn't very much fun. It was okay I guess, but not something I'm going to listen to again.

Listen in the background

No.... this is supermarket tannoy background music

Not really my thing. i found this a bit tedious

I think this album missed the mark for me. I think it’s kind of awful actually. Debating between a 1 and 2 stars. If you think you’re lonely now is the only song I kind of liked.

gaaameeeeessss

Music for sex. As a non-sex haver I have no reason to like this

Would have given it 2.5 stars if I could have. A poor man’s Al Green.

The album was fine I guess.

I’m being generous here

Cut the funk, stay creamy soulful and I‘ll stay for longer 2.3

Vocal marcante de soul, só que não percebi a guitarra e nem reconheci o hit.

This was aight. Not really my jam but I liked his voice especially liked Stand Up.

Meh

James Brown but without all the yelling.

A cool sounding smooth soul album that will hurt absolutely nobody, but that will also be forgotten in... Oh, well, it's already forgotten. Who was I listening to?

LOL at the cover art for The Poet II 80s sucked. Dude had some good albums. Albums that had funk and soul! Why pick this? Oh right, this list creator is an imbecile.

A pleasant enough voice with questionable lyrics and quite bland music. I couldn’t help thinking, who is this album for? And when would one listen to it? The thought provoking “if you think you’re lonely now” just made me think “I’d rather be lonely than be with this misogynistic bar steward”

I was expecting great things from The Poet after hearing from several different sources raving about it. Sure, it was soulful, but it wasn't the masterpiece I was led to believe. There's too much reliance on the technology of the time. The songs would have worked better on the raw power of a live band.

Meni sulavasti ohi ilman kummempia tuntemuksia.

Great vocals and I love the energy but the length of the songs is way too long. Also, half the album is unavailable on Spotify.

Had its moments, but this slickly produced soul style isn’t really my bag. Plus, it reminds me a lot of the eighties which was full of rip offs of this sound.

Jazzy 80’s sound.

No suena mal pero no me ha entusiasmando

Slick 80s Soul. Yeah its good, but doesn't do anything for me at all. It's not Across 110th Street.

It was a very nice album. Great singing with nice music as well. I'm not sure I'll ever listen to it again, but it was good. No songs stuck out as really good, but none as bad either

Fine, but nothing exceptional to my ears.

Heard of his name before, but don’t really know anything about him. This was very meh in my opinion. Not really my genre, though, so not sure. I have not been liking the 80s albums. Some of the reviews mention disco and dance music, and I did not hear that at all. If I had, maybe I would have liked it more.

This is the kind of music my family call “ooh ooh baby” music. It’s never done anything for me. Only song I liked was ’Just my imagination’, but I prefer the original Temptations version. It’s not ugly, horrible or offensive music. It is, however, interminably uninteresting.

R&B HUONOMPAA MUSTAA MUSIIKKIA!! Loppui kivasti, 2 tähteä sillä

Really nothing too grab onto in this one.

‘Just My Imagination’ had a harp. And seemed to be ripped off from The Temptations. ‘If You Think You’re Lonely Now’ was good. Nothing great, nothing horrible. I prefer my smooth jazz/R &B to be sung by George Benson. The last few albums make me feel like the mean judge on American Idol (Simon Cowell). I wish I knew what his catchphrase was, if he had one.

It's pretty lame, but it adapts to the turn of the 80s with a fine production and lush instrumentation and back vocals. Doesn't innovate, and I can clearly hear his Philly soul inspirations. Favorites: So Many Sides of You, Games, Stand Up

Acceptable background music at best.

Okej vi fattar du e sexig

This is the first time I have heard any Bobby Womack song, or even heard about him, as a matter of fact. What surprises me, is that usually albums on this list are debut albums, or records released rather early in the career, with the rule of thumb - after initial success, the band starts to "sell out" a bit. It's not innovative anymore, group is riding the wave of the past. In case of "The Poet", which is thirteen album in Bobby's career, this rule is definitely broken. Our today's album is a rather simple and ordinary soul and r'n'b release. Some of the songs are catchy, but they don't hook you for long, falling quickly into the background. The only hit from "The Poet" is a song named "If You Think You're Lonely Now". Apparently this track was the main reason which decided about placing this album on the list. However, in my opinion, the song is completely uncharacteristic, doesn't stand out in the genre, or even on this record. It is just an average release, doesn't matter from which angle I will look at it. Not the greatest listening experience.

Some of the songs weren't available on spotify. What I listened to was pleasant but not that memorable to me.

If you hadn’t heard the songs or heard of Bobby Womack, and read the lyrics out of that context, you’d wonder if it was a joke.

Didn't know what to expect with this one — I grooved along all the while, but I won't remember any of it.

Feels like someone with immense musical talent recording conservatively to achieve commercial success. I don't really think there's a single song here I'd want to relisten to.

R&B meets Gospel with this soulful voice.

vähän meni toisesta korvasta sisään ja toisesta ulos eka biisi oli hyvä, samoin If you think you're lonely now yllätti

Joo, lauluääni, satunnaiset riffit ja rytmit toimivat. Mutta melkein jokaisessa biisissä on jokin imelän jazzahtava elementti (keskeinen melodia, sointuvaihdos tai instrumentti) joka pilaa kokonaisuuden. Muita paremmat palat: Just My Imagination, kierrätetystä kertsistä huolimatta, ja If You Think You're Lonely Now, jonka kuuntelisin mielelläni uudelleen.

Not a fan

This one's just not working for me.

It's a fine album. But it's not for me.

May be good for others, but not my cup of tea

2.5

Gave the complete album a couple of listen throughs and didn't really click for me. Not opposed to the funk/R'n'B genre but majority of songs just weren't doing it. Highlights tho for me were the opening track and Just My Imagination.. those did get stuck in my head.

Good but not great. Just a album passing by

A little funk, a little soul, and way too much 80's canned-overproduction. An extra star for what could have been.

Bobby Womack has written some good songs through his career, and while I wasn't expecting another "Across 110th Street", I was hoping for something better than this. This is over produced 80s soul and pretty late in the game for the guy who penned the first Rolling Stones hit.

I really like Womack's early soul offerings such as Across 110th Street (what a great song to kick off Tarantino's Jackie Brown). He's a prolific songwriter with a great raspy voice, but this 80s shiny suit pop soul doesn't do anything for me unfortunately.

too smooth

Might have been lovely if I took to the genre, but I don’t.

nej bare nej

80’er soul, poppet, sprød guitar, rnb-vibes, opmuntrende

A bit silly.. But a couple songs made me wanna get up and dance.

A nice sound (great voice) but not my jam.

Eh this is way too cheesy for me.

Nice soul. But just ok. The bassist is too showy and distracting for most of the album and only they and Bobby have much soul. “Games” is really good. If this is on this list but I don’t see any Tower of Power anytime soonish, I’m going to send a strongly worded letter to the editor. {prior rated}

Just okay. The souls genre doesn’t sit well with me

Enjoyable soul album. Maybe not something I'd come back to a ton but I'd never complain if it was on. Feels kinda dated.

Nothing very exciting for me here. A couple high points, but it felt like second tier 70s soul adjacent music.

Fine, but pretty cheesy and not really my thing.

Second Listen. Standouts: If You Think You're Lonely Now Others: Just My Imagination, Where Do We Go From Here

Na

1st listen. Seems ok. 2/5

Nice soul. But just ok. The bassist is too showy and distracting for most of the album and only they and Bobby have much soul. “Games” is really good. If this is on this list but I don’t see any Tower of Power anytime soonish, I’m going to send a strongly worded letter to the editor.

Smooth!

Mwha

MBO-neuk-muziek! En die tijd is voorbij.

Veel te gladde soul!

Dit ging eigenlijk volledig aan me voorbij.

Beetje braaf.

I thought I liked Bobby Womack but this didn't do much for me. Pretty standard soul

I can respect the music but it just isn’t for me

Standard 80s soul

Hard to review and album when the whole thing isn’t available.

Dzien po dniu znow sie dzieje funkowego soula cud, tym razem w wykonaniu Bobbiego Womacka, z ktorym takze spotykam sie po raz pierwszy, a widocznie jest to jakas gruba ryba czarnego r&b lat 70-90, bo 28 albumow studyjnych sie nie wydaje, jesli nie jest sie sluchalnym muzykiem, dzisiaj trzynasty, to musialo wylosowac akurat trzynasty album w jego dyskografii, the poet 39 minut to bardzo czarny soulowy material, ktoremu w niektorych trakach niedaleko do r&b zwlaszcza w pierwszej czesci krazka, otwierajacy so many sides of you oparty na synthowo klawiszowym brzmieniu w polaczeniu z precyzyjnym basem perkusjowymi drumami i bongosami, ktore nadaja czarnego klimatu calej kompozycji, no i chorkowanie jak przystalo na r&b, praktycznie przez pol plyty je slychac, sam wokal Womackowy brzmi jak ten ojcow zalozycieli czarnej muzyki popularnej, readdingowych influencji z latwoscia mozna sie doszukiwac, ale najbardziej trafnym okresleniem na ten typ maniery wokalnej jest czarny soul, dobrze zrobiony, ale nie niosacy w sobie nic nowego, podobnie jest jesli chodzi o liryke osluchane juz wielokrtonie milosne rozsterki soulowego artysty, z poety wrzuce na soulowa plejke otwierajacy so many sides of you, jako najmocniejszy lirycznie kawalek i if you think you are lonley now jako podsumowanie drugiej, wolniejszej, strony plyty, trivia tajm pana Womacka powinienem kojarzyc z kolaba z Gorillazami z 2k10 na plastik beachu mial swoj wklad w kawalek stylo

Está incompleto en Spotify, supongo que no me pierdo de nada.

La neta le terminé cambiando... Gracias por participar

I can see why this record is on the list, however I absolutely do not enjoy it. Beautiful voice, good instrumentals, but it's not for me. The "oh girl I love you so much" thing gets very old very quickly for me.

Not bad, but a little boring to me.

I definitely recognized Womack's great voice from his work with Gorillaz on the song "Stylo", so I was interested to hear this album. But though he's a great singer, these songs are mostly not doing anything for me. "Stand Up" is the only exception. Great use of synthesizers, funky rhythm, just a good, danceable song. Everything else just strikes me as relatively generic soul/R&B, and I'm not really a fan of R&B from like the '70s onward. It's not unlistenable, but it doesn't do anything for me.

Not really my thing. It sounds like the incidental music one would hear while watching "The Love Boat". I am sure it is a fantastic album, but it just isn't to my taste. Which is admittedly pretty narrow and bad. This is why I am doing this. To hear new things.

Talented guy but this album did v little for me

Really thought I’d like this more than I did. Just felt a bit like an 80s movie soundtrack.

It's smooth blandness

Fine, probably 2.5

Bad thrift store me music

disco/funk type stuff. Made my foot tap, but I probably wouldn't listen again.

not for me

It’s 80s. It’s fine. But I wouldn’t choose to listen to it. Completely inoffensive.

Obviously Womack's voice is gorgeous, but all the songs on this album are very basic. If someone said to imagine a 1970s soul album, this is what your mind would conjure up. Nothing is surprising or innovative, interesting or exciting. It's all pleasant enough, but it's background sound.

A lot of reviews call this "funky" and I call shenanigans on that. It's BORDERING on funk but stays too solidly in the smooth R&B camp to be funky. And "smooth" is another word for "boring" when applied to music. Boring is exactly what I found this album to be.

All due respect to mr Womack but baby making music doesn’t really do it for me

I didn’t enjoy this. I just wanted it to be over. Not for me.

Not for me really.

weibliche tina turner elevator c

Meh

If You Think You're Lonely Now

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

Urgh.

2/10

None of the songs are really grabbing my attention

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

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.

Very very very cheesy. Lots of slap bass

Putting the 'ack' in Womack since 1944.

Meh. Nothing jumped out at me.

Bobby Womack's "The Poet" came after a self-imposed hiatus following the loss of his son and battle with drug addiction. He may not have been ready to attempt a comeback or a big hit. "If You Think You're Lonely Now" was a crowd pleaser and well received critically, but this wasn't a showstopper.

Nothing special here

Not bad music but no bangers - makes it a 1 by default. Reminder as to rubric: 1 - no bangers or truly painful to listen to as an album but maybe 1 banger 2 - 1-3 bangers but the rest of the album is so bad I don't want to listen to it again 3 - Anywhere from 1 to half of the album's worth of bangers and the rest of the album is alright. 4 - High density of bangers necessary - can have one skip. 5 - Not necessarily all bangers but works high density of bangers and works as a cohesive album. No skips. While Bobby Womack here has no skips - there are no bangers. It feels wrong because the music isn't incompetent or anything but there's just no bangers here.

This man is on crack and so is anyone who likes this album. The only halfway decent song is "Stand Up" but it doesn't redeem the others. Way too many boring, slow, tacky, love songs that bring nothing new. I thought this was going to be a lot better based on the cover art. He looks cooler than he actually is. 0.75 which rounds to a 1 for the audacity to call yourself The Poet.

Womack...you SOB. This was not at all poetic or at all good. Cheesy love ballads complete with sparkly harps and sax. A shimmer of hope with the funky tune "Stand Up", every other track was lame muzack barely worthy of a dentist's waiting room. Bobby has a voice but I'm sorry, you can't be a true poet if you reference KFC...0.85 stars.

as much as i tried to enjoy it, this just isnt my sorta music

Not a lot to say about this apart from I hope I get something I really like tomorrow. 1/5 17/12/24

Manages to bring just about everything I despise musically together for this album. We have obnoxious synths, cheesy lyrics, plastic-funk, limited diversity, too smooth and safe. Okay, some of the tracks have lyrics so bad that they're hilarious. But this isn't enough to save this album from the single star I'm awarding it.

Didn’t particularly enjoy this, but there are some solid basslines. Definitely not sure why I had to hear this before dying…sounds like a typical cheesy 80s soul record. A little overproduced, a little over sung. Feel like he occasionally said some stuff that made me do a double take.

Really mid

Crap

Not my jam

The music was good, enjoyable, but the singing was very bad. Ruined it for me.

borderline horrible. eugh.

Another day, another selection from the 990 Albums You Can Happily Go To Your Grave Having Never Heard.

Non entity boring is worse than bad

"Girl, you know how to make my cookie crumble, my cookie crumble When you hold me close and do all the things you do to me Ooh-wee, baby Just like some good old Kentucky Fried Chicken And all of it was good enough to be finger lickin′" Poetry. It rhymes. Sort of. "Secrets" is so bad that it's probably the reason Spotify refuses to play it, just in case users unsubscribe from their premium accounts in protest. And the obnoxious music that's played behind those lyrics is even *worse*. Everything in this song is a dumpster fire. The same goes for "Stand Up", a subpar version of Parliament/Funkadelic shenanigans. It's, like, a "clean" version of them. Which is quite a nonsensical idea. You can feel Womack grabbing at everything at hand around him so as to sell unit shifters. His label must have been pleased. But decades later, I'm not. Conversely, "So Many Sides Of You" and "If You Think You're Lonely Now" are OK. The bass on the first sounded familiar, as did the vocals on the second. Maybe those songs inspired others that i know (or the other way around). Whatever the case may be, the overall mood for those cuts sounded *right*. Unfortunately, you can't say that for the other tracks.The other songs are just boring (except for the two dumpster fires I mentioned earlier, lol). And the production values have not aged very well. Another example of the artistic dead-ends the eighties led so many great musicians to. So next, please. Number of albums left to review: 535 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 224 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 108 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 135

N0T4M3

I like one song, but it’s not really the vibe I’m looking for.

At 39 minutes and 59 seconds, this album is a smidge under 40 minutes. Although I understand why many people love his music, for myself, this was the best thing about this album. Actually I'm lying, I skipped the last couple of tracks.

Quite enjoyed the more funky / energetic Stand Up, but the rest of this early Eighties soul set just wasn't for me. All a bit too polished for my taste. At least this was 'normal' album length at 39 minutes, unlike some of the recent double album endurance tests of late.

Pretty f-ing dire. Not good enough to be soul. Not funky enough to be funk. No standout singles. The kind of music some bloke you're stuck with on a ferry boat for 2 days into.

Naw, man. Just not my thing. There was a bit of funk in there, but straight-up 80s R&B (without any hip-hop) has never intrigued me. Also, Womack seemed a little too-R Kelly in his lifestyle to be anything worth praising.

This is the only album that I've rated but not listened to in it's entirety. Bobby Womack had a fantastic voice, but the music to accompany it on this album is atrocious (at least the first five tracks). Not recommended for a Monday morning listen!

Really not what I needed to see today. Slick, well produced and inoffensive but totally devoid of originality, guts or a cutting edge. I could play this late at night with a bourbon and incense smoking in the corner but Barry White did it so much better. He's not in the top 1001 so this is getting 1*

Huh. I didn't really connect with the album. It's just shy of 40 minutes and I still couldn't resist the urge to keep skipping ahead, looking for something that evoked a sense of how this is one of the 1001 greatest albums. By the time I got to "It You Think You're Lonely Now", I felt like I'd already heard what the album had to offer and my interest was entirely lost.

God dammit, these album all suck dick I HATE THE FUCKING 80S!!!!!

not sure why this made the list...killer guitar on the cover though.

When I saw it was called "The Poet" I sensed bad news. Not for me.

Never again

Not for me!!