Withers’ second studio LP sounds fresh and innovative to this day.
It is said that pop stars remain the age they were from when they first achieved success. Hence some, with their every whim being catered for, remain trapped in a permanent childhood. Not so Bill Withers. The man from Slab Fork, West Virginia didn’t turn professional until he was 32, after spending time working in milk delivery, for the Ford Motor Company and building Lockheed aircraft.
As a result, his songs came with an inbuilt, honeyed experience. Here was a man who had lived life and, as a result, brought a tremendous gravitas to his material. When he sang of hurt, the need for love and solidarity, you knew he was talking from first-hand experience.
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Bron: BBC Music