Generally blackballed by the music industry following his marriage to Sam Cooke's widow in the mid-60s, Bobby Womack slowly rebuilt his reputation via a series of hit songs he'd written for Wilson Pickett. Securing a solo record deal Womack released this, his 2nd solo album, in 1970. Although it repeated the commercial failure of his debut, Fly Me To The Moon, it strengthened his sound, which finally hit pay dirt on his 3rd album, Communication.
My Prescription opens on its highest note, "How I Miss You Baby". It's a textbook example of a soul ballad. It starts out with a gentle lament and the tension builds as the song continues. By its end, Womack's voice is wailing and drowning amidst a sea of horns, a siren organ and sweeping strings. The vocal hook is catchy enough, but even more insidious is the rumbling pulsation of the bass working in concert with those sorrowful horns.
Like the opening track, "More Than I Can Stand" and "It's Gonna Rain" continue the soul balladry and are original compositions by Womack. "More Than I Can Stand" would later be reprised to stunning effect on Womack's live album released later in the year and "It's Gonna Rain" actually gets to be quite punchy. Both excellent.
If you haven't deciphered yet, this is an album heavy on the ballads and light on uptempo tunes. The quality of the songs never ever dips below good, but the best of the rest are "I Can't Take It Like A Man", the bouncy "I'm Gonna Forget About You" and the string-laden "Thank You". In fact, this album would represent the apex of Womack's use of orchestral sounds. As the 70s dragged on, he would delve into bluesier and then funkier and then more "discoier" music.
For my money, though, this stands second only to Understanding in Womack's 70s catalogue.
My Prescription opens on its highest note, "How I Miss You Baby". It's a textbook example of a soul ballad. It starts out with a gentle lament and the tension builds as the song continues. By its end, Womack's voice is wailing and drowning amidst a sea of horns, a siren organ and sweeping strings. The vocal hook is catchy enough, but even more insidious is the rumbling pulsation of the bass working in concert with those sorrowful horns.
Like the opening track, "More Than I Can Stand" and "It's Gonna Rain" continue the soul balladry and are original compositions by Womack. "More Than I Can Stand" would later be reprised to stunning effect on Womack's live album released later in the year and "It's Gonna Rain" actually gets to be quite punchy. Both excellent.
If you haven't deciphered yet, this is an album heavy on the ballads and light on uptempo tunes. The quality of the songs never ever dips below good, but the best of the rest are "I Can't Take It Like A Man", the bouncy "I'm Gonna Forget About You" and the string-laden "Thank You". In fact, this album would represent the apex of Womack's use of orchestral sounds. As the 70s dragged on, he would delve into bluesier and then funkier and then more "discoier" music.
For my money, though, this stands second only to Understanding in Womack's 70s catalogue.
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