William Bell
One Day Closer To Home
Wilbe Records
Timeless Silky Smooth Soul Music With Sharp Edges and Effortless Cool.
The Soul Cognoscenti will always have a special place for William Bell in their hears; but sadly he’s something of a ‘forgotten man’ these days; and the timeless ‘smokey’ Soul that he’s famous for has pretty much gone out of fashion; especially among the younger generation who tend to want an ‘edge’ to their music; while William still produces silky smooth and often beautiful music.
The opening track; I Still Go to Parties is a defiant argument for ‘being old’; but not and never being ‘old people’!
There’s a very danceable beat to it; but first and foremost it’s about our singer still having a twinkle in his eye.
The pace pretty much slows down to a stroll thereafter; starting with the beautiful I Will Remember Tonight; a sultry love song where the love the narrator has travelled the world looking for; is still out of reach and ‘tonight’ will suffice; until the next stop on a very long and narrow road.
As you’d expect here most if not all of the songs are about love in all its glory and failings; which is what Soul Music does better than any other genre.
When I saw the song title Human Touch I thought it could be a version of the Bruce Springsteen song; but of course it’s not …. It’s a delightfully arranged love song; full of female backing singers on harmonies and chorus while the sizzling guitar in the shadows is worthy of George Benson.
I said earlier that the ‘younger generation’ want their R&B to be ‘edgy’; but if you know your music you will know William Bell’s Stax/Volt songs were always that way inclined; just overtly and that’s still his way today; when you dig deep into the break-up songs I’ve Got Feet, We Can Never Go Back and the heartstring tugger deluxe, When The Loving Stops.
As you’d expect there’s not a single bad song here, nor even a hint of filler; whether alone or co-writing with others; William Bell has always been able to filter out the average, leaving him and us with timeless Classics of all hues.
On an album of this quality; selecting a single Favourite Song is nigh on impossible; and everyone will have their own for their own personal reasons.
Me? I’m torn between the staggering In a Moment of Weakness, which is very much a ‘love song of our times’ but I can’t dismiss One Day Closer To Home which sort of has an Americana beat/melody to it in a way I’d normally with Charlie Pride. Seriously; it’s a prison song that could easily become a Country hit without too much effort on changing the arrangement …. there’s something you never thought you’d read in a William Bell review!
Then there is Let’s Make Loving Great Again.
WOW!
If ever there was a song that needed writing in not just 2023 but perhaps the whole 21st Century; it’s this one …. and if you don’t find yourself with a salty tear in the corner of your eye and whispering “Ain’t that the truth, Brother!” You are a lost cause. It’s not even a debate …. Let’s Make Lovin’ Great Again just had to be my Favourite Song … and it should be yours too.
Released 14th April 2023
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The Rocking Magpie 