![]() Through the next ten years, Withers continued to meld soul, gospel, folk, and funk with rare finesse. Late to arrive, the everyman R&B paragon had just turned 33 when "Ain't No Sunshine," the unfading ballad off Just as I Am (1971), made him a sudden and unlikely success story, within one year an aircraft mechanic-turned-million-selling, Grammy-winning artist. Even smaller in number are the songwriters who have shared the West Virginian's natural ability to articulate a comprehensive range of emotions and perspectives - jubilation and gratitude, jealousy, and spite - with maximal levels of conviction and concision. ![]() If it's not as distinctive as his Sussex records, it's nevertheless an undeniable high point in his catalog.Few singers have possessed a baritone as rich and comforting as that of Bill Withers. As such, those listeners who preferred the darker undercurrents that ran through such songs as "Use Me" and "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?" may find this a little too amiable, but that's just a matter of taste - this is an easy record to like, after all, with a consistent tone and a soothing vibe, plus a good set of songs. Even when the tempo gets sprightly, as on "Lovely Night for Dancing," there's a relaxed vibe and a nice sheen to the production that keeps things even-handed and easy. Where his Sussex material was slyly eclectic, touching on a number of different styles, this album is more cohesive, a smooth album that points the way toward quiet storm while retaining a warm soulfulness, largely due to Withers' wonderful voice. ![]() If Menagerie doesn't have the earthiness or consistent brilliance of Still Bill, it nevertheless has a solid set of songs and an easy, relaxed charm that is thoroughly winning. ![]() Finally, in 1977, he delivered Menagerie, an assured return to form by one of soul's greatest singer/songwriters of the '70s. He still made good music and had hits, but had trouble delivering a consistent album that brought him back to the heights of his Sussex work. ![]() Following the twin peaks of Still Bill and Live at Carnegie Hall in the early '70s, Bill Withers had a little trouble sustaining his peak of creativity, along with his chart positions. ![]()
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