The Poet II

The Poet II
Studio album by
Bobby Womack
ReleasedMarch 1984
Recorded1983
GenreR&B
Length41:32
LabelBeverly Glen Music
ProducerBobby Womack, Andrew Loog Oldham, James E. Gadson
Bobby Womack chronology
The Poet
(1981) 		The Poet II
(1984) 		So Many Rivers
(1985)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Record Collector

The Poet II is the fourteenth studio album by American musician Bobby Womack. The album was released in 1984, by Beverly Glen Music. The album features three duets with fellow soul legend Patti LaBelle, including the top three R&B charted ballad, "Love Has Finally Come At Last", and the more modest follow-up, "It Takes a Lot of Strength to Say Goodbye". It also includes the top 75 UK dance hit, "Tell Me Why". The UK music magazine NME named it the best album of 1984.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Love Has Finally Come at Last"Bobby Womack, Patrick Moten5:36
2."It Takes a Lot of Strength to Say Goodbye"Chris Brubeck3:52
3."Through The Eyes of a Child"Bobby Womack, Jim Ford5:21
4."Surprise, Surprise"Bobby Womack, Jim Ford3:38
5."Tryin' To Get Over You"Bobby Womack, Jim Ford4:16
6."Tell Me Why"Bobby Womack, Jim Ford6:16
7."Who's Foolin' Who"Bobby Womack, Jim Ford4:02
8."I Wish I Had Someone to Go Home To"Cecil Womack, Linda Womack3:47
9."American Dream"Bobby Womack, Jim Ford4:40

"American Dream" contains an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 speech "I Have a Dream"

Personnel

  • Bobby Womack – vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, arrangements
  • Patti LaBelle – vocals
  • Courtney Sappington, David T. Walker, George Benson, Robert Palmer – guitar
  • David Shields – bass
  • Michael Wycoff – keyboards
  • Denzil "Broadway" Miller, Frank "Rusty" Hamilton – synthesizer
  • James E. Gadson – drums
  • Fred Johnson – electronic drums
  • Paulinho da Costa – percussion
  • Frank "Rusty" Hamilton − harmonica
  • Fernando Harkless, Fred Wesley, Harry Kim, Sidney Muldrow, Thurman Green, Wilton Felder – horns
  • Dorothy Ashby – harp
  • James Gadson, Kathy Bloxson, Regina Womack, The Valentinos, Luther Waters, Julia Waters, Oren Waters, Maxine Waters – background vocals
  • David Blumberg – string arrangements
Technical
  • Otis Smith – executive producer
  • Barney Perkins − mix engineer

References

  1. ^ Jason Elias. "The Poet II - Bobby Womack | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  2. ^ Colin Larkin (2006). "Womack, Bobby". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8 (4th ed.). Muze, Oxford University Press. p. 751–2. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  3. ^ Kris Needs, "From Bad To Verse", Record Collector, no. 518 (May 2021), p. 111
  4. ^ "iTunes - Music - The Poet II by Bobby Womack". Itunes.apple.com. 1944-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  5. ^ "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Bobby Womack Featuring Patti LaBelle - The Poet II (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 4 January 2019.


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