Album: Somthing to Love
Year: 1977
Style: R&B, Disco, Funk
Similar Bands: Cameo, Bar-Kays, Earth Wind & Fire, Ohio Players, MFSB
"One-Word" Review: Soul-funk
Based Out Of: Greensboro, North Carolina
Label: A&M
Something to Love - Back & Sleeve
Something to Love - Cover & Sleeve
Something to Love - Record
Something To Love (1977)
- Age of the Showdown 5:41
- (Won't Cha) Stay With Me 3:59
- (Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again 4:44
- You Come First at Last 4:05/
- We Party Hearty 5:15
- If You're In Need 3:38
- Never Enough of Your Love 3:47
- Make Someone Smile Today! 4:03
- Material Things 4:14
Album Rating (1-10): 7.0
Members & Other Bands:
Benorce Blackmon - Guitar
Lorenzo Carnegie - Sax (Alto &Tenor) (Fantastic Soul Men Orchestra)
Dave Collins - Remastering
Henry E. Davis Arranger, Bass, Vocals (Background)
Jimmie Davis - Arranger, Clavinet, Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background), Keyboards, Synthesizer, (Fantastic Soul Men Orchestra)
Doug Graves - Assistant Engineer
Bernie Grundman - Mastering Engineer
Mick Haggerty - Design
Mark Hanauer - Photography
Bob Hughes - Audio Engineer
Bobby Martin - Executive Audio Production, Arranger, Producer
Johnny McGhee - Guitar
A.J. "Onion" Miller - Sax (Tenor)
*Billy Osborne - Arranger, Organ, Percussion, Vocals
*Jeffrey Osborne - Arranger, Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Love Men LTD)
*Jake Riley - Trombone (Fantastic Soul Men Orchestra)
*Carle Vickers - Flugelhorn, Bass Flute, Trumpet (Fantastic Soul Men Orchestra)
Melvin Webb - Drums, Percussion
Roland Young - Art Direction
Ron Nadel - Personal Management
Robert Golden - Personal Management
Bill Whitten - Costumes
Steve Loomis - Costume
S. "Whip" Wilson - Advance Man, Road ManagerBenorce Blackmon - Guitar
Lorenzo Carnegie - Sax (Alto &Tenor) (Fantastic Soul Men Orchestra)
Dave Collins - Remastering
Henry E. Davis Arranger, Bass, Vocals (Background)
Jimmie Davis - Arranger, Clavinet, Piano, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background), Keyboards, Synthesizer, (Fantastic Soul Men Orchestra)
Doug Graves - Assistant Engineer
Bernie Grundman - Mastering Engineer
Mick Haggerty - Design
Mark Hanauer - Photography
Bob Hughes - Audio Engineer
Bobby Martin - Executive Audio Production, Arranger, Producer
Johnny McGhee - Guitar
A.J. "Onion" Miller - Sax (Tenor)
*Billy Osborne - Arranger, Organ, Percussion, Vocals
*Jeffrey Osborne - Arranger, Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Love Men LTD)
*Jake Riley - Trombone (Fantastic Soul Men Orchestra)
*Carle Vickers - Flugelhorn, Bass Flute, Trumpet (Fantastic Soul Men Orchestra)
Melvin Webb - Drums, Percussion
Roland Young - Art Direction
Ron Nadel - Personal Management
Robert Golden - Personal Management
Bill Whitten - Costumes
Steve Loomis - Costume
Billy Gibson - Road Crew
Richard Johnson - Road Crew
Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of this band. Of course, that’s probably because I was never into the R&B / Soul genre that I assume this is from the band’s outfits on the cover. Their logo and use of a heart planet in the back also make me think of Disco, so perhaps this is a good example of Disco Funk or something like that. Perhaps I have heard of them, just not by name, but instead by song.
Album Review: So I’ve heard of Jeffrey Osborne, but not really familiar with his music or what his voice sounds like.
“Age of the Showdown” starts right off with disco orchestration, and a soulful crooning vocal. Yet there is still something of a darker element with the sporadic and somewhat random bass line. I am reminded of the little I know about MFSB with this song. This is a good example of R&B disco, with a Shaft-like bass and guitar section and the strings soaring in the chorus. This music has a specific time period, and is hard to imagine ever being made again with the same authority and feeling. The song ends with the lead vocals conducting a sermon of sorts, shouting at the listener and the rest of the band echoes hallelujah in response.
“(Won't Cha) Stay With Me” is a soulful, urging love ballad. It’s slow, prodding, and methodic and there are romantic horns and sorrowful strings. The song does lose a little potency with its fade out rather than an actual ending.
“(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again” is the big single off the record and their most famous single of all time, apparently. And musically, it is best described as “Brick House” funky. The vocals are more general, and it features a female backing chorus that echoes the lead at times. Even though the rhythm section delivers a constant beat, the real hook of the song is in the emotion of the vocal delivery.
“You Come First at Last” has more of a 60’s R&B oldies feel to it than the 70’s funk. It relies on the strength of the vocals and the eccentricities there in. I like the vocal hook that comes after the title is sung. It starts deep and comes up fast and funky.
“We Party Hearty” feels like a very dated disco-funk song in its verbiage and Village People sing-a-long style. I actually find it a bit embarrassing to listen to, even though the rest of the song is straight up funky. I can’t get the image of Bill Murray using the phrase during his end monologue in Scrooged. I imagine that there should be a disco whistle shrieking out some generic rhythm in this song, but impressively, there is not one.
“If You're In Need” starts out as a piano ballad, but quickly changes to a sexy, sweaty love ballad when the verse comes in. Even though the chorus reminds me of Hall & Oates, the song is still projects a bedroom sexiness.
“Never Enough of Your Love” enters with strings and straight disco with a pop song template. The song builds nicely in the verse, and the chorus really delivers on the anticipated build. Again, for some reason, I’m reminded of Hall & Oates with this song too. Must be my limited knowledge on both the genre and Hall & Oates. It is a very fun and energetic song in the style of Disco.
“Make Someone Smile Today!” fades up into a slow, bluesy ballad. The song reaches grand heights in the chorus with string arrangements and a backing near-gospel chorus. The last minute has an upbeat tinkering on the piano that feels like it is trying to jumpstart something ragtimey, but it fades out to end the song with deep baritone vocals.
“Material Things” brings the funky disco back for one last song. It features bouncy bass, jangely guitar, a greatly used accenting horn section, and a concentration of backing vocals that exceed the usage of the lead vocals. Sadly, it ends in a fade out rather than some bombastic disco ending.
“Age of the Showdown” starts right off with disco orchestration, and a soulful crooning vocal. Yet there is still something of a darker element with the sporadic and somewhat random bass line. I am reminded of the little I know about MFSB with this song. This is a good example of R&B disco, with a Shaft-like bass and guitar section and the strings soaring in the chorus. This music has a specific time period, and is hard to imagine ever being made again with the same authority and feeling. The song ends with the lead vocals conducting a sermon of sorts, shouting at the listener and the rest of the band echoes hallelujah in response.
“(Won't Cha) Stay With Me” is a soulful, urging love ballad. It’s slow, prodding, and methodic and there are romantic horns and sorrowful strings. The song does lose a little potency with its fade out rather than an actual ending.
“(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again” is the big single off the record and their most famous single of all time, apparently. And musically, it is best described as “Brick House” funky. The vocals are more general, and it features a female backing chorus that echoes the lead at times. Even though the rhythm section delivers a constant beat, the real hook of the song is in the emotion of the vocal delivery.
“You Come First at Last” has more of a 60’s R&B oldies feel to it than the 70’s funk. It relies on the strength of the vocals and the eccentricities there in. I like the vocal hook that comes after the title is sung. It starts deep and comes up fast and funky.
“We Party Hearty” feels like a very dated disco-funk song in its verbiage and Village People sing-a-long style. I actually find it a bit embarrassing to listen to, even though the rest of the song is straight up funky. I can’t get the image of Bill Murray using the phrase during his end monologue in Scrooged. I imagine that there should be a disco whistle shrieking out some generic rhythm in this song, but impressively, there is not one.
“If You're In Need” starts out as a piano ballad, but quickly changes to a sexy, sweaty love ballad when the verse comes in. Even though the chorus reminds me of Hall & Oates, the song is still projects a bedroom sexiness.
“Never Enough of Your Love” enters with strings and straight disco with a pop song template. The song builds nicely in the verse, and the chorus really delivers on the anticipated build. Again, for some reason, I’m reminded of Hall & Oates with this song too. Must be my limited knowledge on both the genre and Hall & Oates. It is a very fun and energetic song in the style of Disco.
“Make Someone Smile Today!” fades up into a slow, bluesy ballad. The song reaches grand heights in the chorus with string arrangements and a backing near-gospel chorus. The last minute has an upbeat tinkering on the piano that feels like it is trying to jumpstart something ragtimey, but it fades out to end the song with deep baritone vocals.
“Material Things” brings the funky disco back for one last song. It features bouncy bass, jangely guitar, a greatly used accenting horn section, and a concentration of backing vocals that exceed the usage of the lead vocals. Sadly, it ends in a fade out rather than some bombastic disco ending.
Stand Out Track: You Come First At Last
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