More Muscle From The Shoals I - Bobby Womack

We lost Bobby Womack a year ago today. He had had a long  and varied career starting in a family band and even supporting Sam Cooke as guitarist.  His earliest claim to fame was probably writing the Stones' hit It's All Over Now.

Bobby recorded two albums at the Shoals. The highly rated Communication and the slightly less well received follow up Understanding.

I came at these the other way round first hearing Understanding.

Doing so helped me conclude that the reason that was not received as well was because it so closely follows the blueprint set by Communication, monologues, originals and also some inspired, interesting, intriguing and unexpected covers (in much the same way as Isaac Hayes had done earlier on Hot Buttered Soul.

Woman's Gotta Have It, Sweet Caroline,   Gotta Get You Back, Communication, Fire and Rain, Everything is Beautiful and Close to You.

The pick of them would be That's The Way I Feel About Cha.