The Best of Bobby Womack - The Soul Years

iTunes Review

Between 1968 and 1976, Bobby Womack had one of the great winning streaks in R&B history. Not only was he able to maintain a constant presence on the top of the R&B charts, he also progressed artistically while upholding a consistent level of quality. You can’t go wrong with any of the LPs Womack released during this period, but The Soul Years attempts to compile several of the highlights. While the singer started out with gritty-yet-tender straightforward soul of “Midnight Mover,” “I’m In Love” and “How I Miss You Baby,” he gradually delved into the sonic idiosyncrasies of “That’s the Way I Feel About ‘Cha,” “I’m Through Trying to Prove My Love To You” and “Nobody Wants You When You’re Down and Out.” Even though he scored hits, it never felt like Womack was being forced through the commercial machine the way some of his peers were. He was rare in that he was a guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and producer. His records never feel exactly like anything else that was happening at the time. He shares qualities with Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye and Sly Stone, but Womack was always his own man.