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From the Vault...
04/05/1998
#571 |
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info
The O'Jays
"So Full Of Love"
© The Right Stuff Records<
Year of Release: 1978
Rating:
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track listing
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Sing My Heart Out
Use Ta Be My Girl
Cry Together
This Time Baby
Brandy
Take Me To The Stars
Help (Somebody Please)
Strokety Stroke
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WSVNRadio Archives
The O'Jays related sites:
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The O'Jays
"So Full Of Love"
Deep down in the soul of the 1970s music were
The O'Jays. By the time their 1978 release
So Full Of Love was released, they already had
a large assortment of hits, and were one of many popular
acts to come out of the Philadelphia International record
company, headed by the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
So Full Of Love is so full of soul. The album
starts with Sing My Heart Out. And The O'Jays do just
that. Use Ta Be My Girl, a well-known favorite, is
ultimately one of the great 70s soul records.
Cry Together has the soft sounding soul feel of such stars as
Lou Rawls, Barry White, and Isaac Hayes. This Time Baby
is upbeat soul as in their #1 hit, Love Train.
Brandy is a song that you can easily tell where
other inspired groups captured their sound from 70s Soul.
One act is Daryl Hall & John Oates. Brandy can be compared to
H&O's Rich Girl. Take Me To The Stars has an
Earth, Wind & Fire funk sound.
Help (Somebody, Please)'s orchestration is incredible.
From the beginning soul bass line, the strings ensemble, to
the sweet harmonies, this song, like others, defines the true
slow 70s soul music sound. And lastly, with a title like
Strokety Stroke, without even hearing it, you have
to conclude that it has to be a funky sounding tune. And
it is. It has the funk sound, compared to a funky Earth, Wind
& Fire and Rick James.
So Full Of Love should be renamed as So Full Of Soul.
It has all of the components of great soul music, which is
different in sound than what we hear today in black music.
The ultimate sound in black music is from the 1970s. This album
has soft sweet tunes, likewise upbeat and funk ones. The O'Jays
were a group of many that shared that great 70s soul sound.
Somehow I envision seeing Don Cornelius of Soul Train. It's the
1970s all over again, watching TV in the basement of my parents' home
and watching everyone dancing to the soul funk sound. If it
wasn't American Bandstand I was watching, it had to be Soul Train,
especially when it comes to the era of soul music.
Discover what great black music is all about. For us older
folks, this is what defines the shape and sound of soul. In
today's music, there isn't any comparison, even though the
current trend in black music today is rap and hip-hop.
Nowhere is it compared to music like The O'Jays. Even though
black music has made another chapter in hip-hop/rap, go back
a few chapters, and you'll find the greatness of soul. The
O'Jays, as well as many other great acts would be in that
chapter. In all due respect, this kind of music is much,
much better than any hip-hop/rap act you would hear today.
Most radio stations would have no trouble playing a tune
by The O'Jays. In today's music, you have to specifically
find that special radio station that showcases hip-hop
and rap. The 70s soul music can be found anywhere, as compared
to special places you would find hip-hop and rap. Case closed.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
The Right Stuff Records
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